The two are petitioning the University for space to meet their needs. The Wharton School of Business and the School of Arts and Sciences's Psychology Department have individually petitioned the University for space on campus for new buildings. Both are eyeing the current Book Store site as a possibility -- once Barnes & Noble builds its superstore at 36th and Walnut streets. Wharton officials -- who claim the school's current facilities do not adequately meet the needs of its students and faculty -- have determined that construction of an entirely new complex is the only way to satisfy current needs, according to Deputy Dean Janice Bellace. Bellace said 1992 studies by independent consulting firms concluded that adding space onto existing structures would be impossible. The studies concluded that tearing down Vance Hall would be more economical than renovating the building. Wharton has petitioned the president's office for The Book Store site because of its ideal location near Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, Bellace said. But Psychology Chairperson Robert Seyfarth said the College has long recognized the need for a new psychology facility to replace the department's four scattered buildings. Currently, professors' offices, laboratories and classrooms are all in different locations. Executive Vice President John Fry said University President Judith Rodin will make a formal presentation about the future of The Book Store site at the November 13 University Council meeting. "From an academic perspective, the concerns of Wharton and the Psychology Department are the most significant issues [at the meeting]," Fry said. The question of raising funds to construct any new buildings also must be evaluated, Fry said. The cost for the Wharton complex has previously been estimated at $100 million. Bellace said the creation of a new building is a large project that "no dean would undertake casually." Whether the site is given to Wharton or the Psychology Department will probably depend on who has the ability to pay for it, she added. Bellace said Wharton is competing with its peer business schools aesthetically as well as academically. A new Wharton complex, she added, would be a large draw for perspective students. Bellace said Columbia University is constructing a new building for it business school, and the universities of California at Los Angeles and Berkeley have recently completed new business school facilities. Seyfarth said while The Book Store site is not the only possibility for a consolidated Psychology Department, he hopes an alternative site will be established for the psychology building if a formal decision grants the site to Wharton.
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