At the request of Assistant Dean Suprena Bennett, ETS facilitated the consolidation of reserving multiple conference rooms into one College-wide system across the deans office and the three academic departments. This enhancement not only increases efficient use of resources, but also reduces the staff time necessary to arrange alternate meeting space. Previously, the only way these resources were shared across departments was if an administrator in one department knew who managed anothers resources, and then that person had to get in touch via phone or email to check availability and request a reservation.
The new system, launched last month, has all resources available via Outlook for managing reservations and checking availability. Technical incompatibilities between Windows and Mac users meant we could not use the same system to handle requests for space; therefore, staff can access an online form to request space once they confirm it is available. The form automatically routes submissions to the proper unit based on the space requested.
Users of the new system have indicated that it is a great way to manage overflow, when their local spaces get booked to capacity. This situation is only expected to grow with the reduction in available space due to emigration of College faculty from Cole for its renovation as an indoor practice arena.