Pres., Provost to move from College Hall

The offices of President Sheldon Hackney and Provost Michael Aiken will be moved from College Hall to the Mellon Bank Building in June, administrators said yesterday. Both offices will occupy the fourth and fifth floors of the building on the corner of 36th and Walnut streets for approximately two years to allow for College Hall renovations, said Arthur Gravina, vice president for facilities and management. "As we begin to move into the next phase of College Hall [renovation], because of the disruption . . . we've advised the president and provost that they need to vacate [their College Hall offices]," Gravina said last night. The president and provost have opted to relocate themselves at the same time because they work together so closely, according to Executive Assistant to the Provost Linda Koons. Hackney and Aiken are being moved so work can begin on the front part of the building where their offices are located. Gravina said that the concurrent relocation of the offices is an advantage for those who are working on the renovation project. Administrators speculated that the Mellon site was chosen to allow the president and the provost to remain close to the center of campus. Many of the University's departments and administrative offices have been moved to such locations as 4200 Pine Street and 3440 Market Street as a result of recent renovations to both College Hall and Logan Hall. Administrators who will have to relocate this summer said last night they have mixed feelings about the move. "It's always a challenge to relocate an office," Assistant to the President Linda Hyatt. "[But] unless we leave, the work can't go forward." Hyatt added that Hackney's staff members will be free to design the floor space and will be able to create a conference room which they lack in College Hall. "I think that like everyone else who has had to move it's been difficult," Koons said last night. "But we have no choice, College Hall needs to be renovated." The top floors of the Mellon Bank Building are currently occupied by the Psychiatry Department, which will move to 3600 Market Street. This will allow the department to consolidate its offices since it needs more space, Gravina added.

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