The University’s Master Plan, which was put into effect April 6, 2001, has been revisited and is in the process of being revised.
The Master Plan is the vision of how the physical structure and layout of the campus will look like in the future, according to Dr. Bob Brown, vice president for business and administration.
The University has been working towards improvement under an architectural rendering of how the campus is going to develop, but when the architects came to visit with the committee, it became clear the Science Building didn’t belong where the Master Plan had originally placed it. After moving it to a more appropriate location, the decision was made to put the student center across the street from the new building. After that, the president asked the plan be revisited and revised.
“It [the new plan] won’t be completely different, but there will be some significant new elements,” Brown said.
The main idea is to make the center of the campus feel like a more traditional place – to give it a more classic feel.
This will create a more aesthetically pleasing environment, but school officials want to address noise and safety issues as well.
According to Brown, vehicular traffic and parking will be moved to the perimeter of the campus in an attempt to make the center a walking mall so students can traverse between classes without the worry of crossing busy streets. This will require the closing of roads and problems in trying to figure out where new parking will be.
Another aspect of the plan is creating an additional another entryway where Bickham’s Florist used to be.
“As we limit how far you can go off of Highway 50, we need to provide another alternative way to get on and around campus,” Brown said. “This is just another way to try to separate the vehicle traffic from the pedestrians.”
A third element to the plan is where the Music Building will be placed after the old one comes down. It will most likely not be in the same spot, as the new building is significantly larger than the old, Brown said. University officials want it to have an effective entry appeal and ample parking for events. They want the Music Building to be the most environmentally sensitive building on campus in terms of construction, materials and placement.
Yet another element is the leveling of Hubble Hall. No plans have been outlined for the lot yet, although some school officials have suggested it be used in conjunction with the Morris Recreation Center as an intramural field due to its location.
“We’re trying to make the education buildings and the student center the hub of the campus and make as much of that accessible by foot or bike with minimum interference from vehicles,” Brown said.
The old Master Plan helped accomplish some of the University’s goals, but it’s time for fresh ideas. These ideas will come in the form of a new plan that should be completed before the fall semester.