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Judy Genshaft Honors College not operational due to supply chain delays

The new $56 million Judy Genshaft Honors College hosted a grand opening on May 12 but will not be operational until June 12. ORACLE PHOTO/JUSTIN SEECHARAN

The new Judy Genshaft Honors College (JGHC) will not be operational until June 12 due to supply chain delays and to conduct systems checks, according to Director of Communication and Engagement Aaron Nichols.

A sign on the doors of the JGHC reads “We appreciate your interest in our beautiful new building, but it is still under construction and not yet open to the community. We anticipate being fully operational on June 12. We appreciate your patience.”

Though the university hosted a grand opening for the college last Friday, testing of building controls, security, electrical and HVAC –  heating, ventilation and air conditioning – systems are still undergoing, Nichols wrote in an email to The Oracle.

The testing of these “essential systems” are necessary to obtain a full certificate of occupancy, according to Honors College Dean Charles Adams. In order to host the opening event last week, the university worked closely with the “appropriate authorities” and had the “proper precautions in place,” he wrote in an email to The Oracle. The precautions were not specified at the time of publication.

Restricting access to the building will allow for the “controlled environment” needed to conduct final testing, balancing and commissioning of the systems, according to Nichols. 

For these tests to be conducted, doors can’t be opened and closed and lights can’t be turned off and on, according to Nichols.

There was also a delay on the installation and “complex integration” of several components in these systems due to supply chain issues, Nichols wrote. For example, the card-swipe devices for doors with access controls have a backlog of at least 9 to 12 months.

Though in some cases USF IT has provided the missing components, this inventory will be replaced in several months when the parts which were originally ordered for the new JGHC come in. 

Nichols wrote that the delay in the supply chain, however, is “not a reflection of poor management of the project.” He said it was out of the control of both the university and the contractors. 

Faculty and staff will be moving into the new building in June, according to Nichols. Though there was already furniture inside the JGHC for its opening, office supplies, computers, books and files still need to be moved in.

Classes are not scheduled in the JGHC until Summer B, which starts on June 26, Nichols wrote.