Strategic Assessment: The School of Earth Sciences, and Stanford as a whole, is a leader in advanced analytical and computational facilities. Our faculty recognize that these strengths have been an essential element in our ability to attract extramural funds and excellent students, and to accomplish the ground-breaking research for which we are known. On the other hand, the assessment (and our previous needs assessment) identified a very strong concern among faculty and students about the support and maintenance of these facilities, and about our ability to stay at the cutting edge. To address these concerns fully, there is a need for not just additional funds, but a careful analysis of how we can best organize ourselves to increase efficiency and economy in the support of the facilities we already have, and to remain a leader through growth of those facilities.

Strategy 1: Support advanced analytical facilities at the school level.
• prepare a needs plan for analytical facilities for research and teaching, including equipment and staffing needs
• initiate a faculty-led study to evaluate the potential for evolving to shared analytical labs, and evaluate the costs and benefits of this option
• implement improvements with school/university funds, while undertaking development activities to attract additional support

Strategy 2: Support computational facilities.
• prepare a needs plan for shared computational facilities, and develop funding plans for those facilities (see section on Center for Computational Geosciences)
• reorganize computer labs to make more effective use of shared space
• consider developing a set of personal computer “standard packages” for support efficiency
• evaluate our IT needs and develop an annual plan for support

Strategy 3: Reconfigure common spaces, graduate student office spaces, teaching facilities, and storage facilities.
• use the School of Earth Sciences space assessment as a starting point for reorganization
• develop space allocation “standards” to use in reorganizing and improving student space in Mitchell, Geology Corner, and Green
• identify and outfit student space for 10–15 IPER students
• complete our rock collection inventory and move the rock collections to an appropriate storage facility
• evaluate opportunities for shared computer and conference spaces, and reorganize accordingly