Planning, Space Management and Capital Projects

A student is seen pinning a flag on a board that says "Where should the university make investments that would enrich your college experience?" The rest of the board contains a map of campus that have flags marked from different individuals.

About

What is a "Campus Plan" and why is Western Michigan University commencing one?

A campus plan is a roadmap that guides future change to the physical campus environment. One can think of a plan in a series of layers: land and building use, site and landscape, infrastructure, transportation/parking. At a strategic level, the campus plan provides direction for the institution to align with its strategic and mission-driven goals (e.g. improving academic success, expanding research, addressing holistic health). Finally, the campus plan identifies specific projects for implementation, and it includes prioritization and phasing so that the college is equipped to act in the near-term while also planning for long range and aspirational goals.

Launching WMU's new Campus Master Plan

Dear campus community, We are pleased to announce that Western Michigan University is embarking on a yearlong journey to create a new Campus Master Plan. This initiative is a crucial step in shaping our future physical environment, aligning with our University’s mission and strategic goals. The master planning process designs a campus that meets the needs of our students, faculty and staff as they learn, work and enjoy campus. Your input is critical to our success in envisioning the future campus of WMU. Our institution’s previous Campus Master Plan was established nearly 25 years ago, and it provided a broad vision to guide the development of our physical infrastructure over time. Master plans encompass various aspects of campus, including land and building use, site and landscaping, infrastructure, transportation and parking. While it serves as a compass to help provide direction in developing major projects, it is not a rigid blueprint. It is designed to be a dynamic framework that balances immediate needs with a flexible conceptual vision. The new plan will identify potential projects, prioritize them and establish a phased approach that can help us address immediate needs while planning for long-term and aspirational goals. This approach will align our available resources, strengths and evolving needs over time. During the Campus Master Plan development process, we will hold input sessions and solicit engagement in other ways to ensure our community's ideas shape this transformative journey. Because master planning directs the growth of the WMU campus over time, it must be developed with and supported by the University community. Bringing together a broad range of campus users and neighbors, the planning process seeks individual perceptions, opinions and priorities to forge consensus on important issues and plan recommendations. In the coming weeks and months, we will provide more details about how you can contribute and stay engaged. Your input is invaluable in forming the future of WMU, and we are excited to collaborate on this crucial endeavor. Thank you, Jan Van Der Kley Vice President for Business and Finance

Why master plan?

Alignment with strategic priorities of Western Michigan University
Think big and explore ideas
Improve efficiencies and ensure that proper infrastructure is in place
Enhance the sense of place and weave connections back to the community
Identify needs, develop cost effective solutions and prioritize investment

Alignment with strategic priorities of Western Michigan University

Outline of three people connected with a dashed line to a plus sign above their heads.

Think big and explore ideas

Rectangle with a double sided arrow going up and down to the left and a zig zagged arrow to the left and up, below the shape.

Improve efficiencies and ensure that proper infrastructure is in place

Six pointed shape with curved lines and circles at the top of each point.

Enhance the sense of place and weave connections back to the community

Identify needs, develop cost-effective solutions and prioritize investment

How can the campus plan support WMU?

Increase retention through student experience and placemaking
Engage and plan with DEI groups and initiatives
Reduce carbon emissions through integrated sustainability planning
Enable research growth through innovative lab and facility planning
Prioritize well-being and safety for faculty, staff and students in process and recommendations

Schedule

Initiate: Starting in December 2023, the project is initiated. This process will take four weeks.

Discovery: Starting in January 2024, the project moves into the discovery phase. This process will take six weeks. View the summary presentation from the Discovery Workshops that took place on February 27-29, 2024.

Summary presentation

Big Ideas: Starting in March 2024, the project moves into the big ideas phase. This process will take 10 weeks.

Develop: Starting in June 2024, the project moves into the develop phase. This process will take 12 weeks.

Refine: Starting in September 2024, the project moves into the refine phase. This process will take 10 weeks.

Campus Engagement: There will be opportunities for campus engagement during each phase of the project. The discovery workshops will take from February 27-29, 2024. The big ideas workshop will take place at a date to be determined in April 2024. The develop workshops will take place at a date to be determined in June or July and September 2024. The refine workshop will take place at a date to be determined in November 2024.

*There will be bi-weekly touchpoints with the members on the project team throughout the duration of the project.

Grid from left to right shows each month from November 2023 to December 2024. On the grid, there are text bubbles with each phase of the project (initiate, discovery, big ideas, develop and refine), campus engagement, and bi-weekly touchpoints. There are also dots representing each campus engagement opportunity/workshop. These all reflect the same timeline outlined in the schedule text above.

Decision-making Structure

Steering Committee: This committee is the direction-setting voice in the planning process. Their recommendations guide the plan forward. For WMU, the Steering Committee will be comprised of the same positions already serving on the Space Advisory Committee, which convenes for ongoing action for the Space Utilization and Facility Audit work the university is commencing.
Advisory Committee: This committee provides feedback and guiding insight into the plan. They represent a wide spectrum of University organizations and offer a diverse range of input into the plan.
User Groups: User groups play a meaningful role in the creation of a campus plan. They provide insight into the current state of programs and facilities while also providing input on future goals and aspirations and discussing challenges. WMU is creating 11 user groups to engage with during the planning process. Information provided by user groups is summarized and used to inform various parts of the master plan update including strategic goals, anticipated future program growth or decline, future space needs, identifying desired adjacencies and potential partnerships.
Campus open houses and online surveys: Broad-based, accessible events catering to on-campus students, faculty and staff.

Project Team

Perkins & Will — Nelson/Nygaard – Affiliated Engineers — Eriksson Engineering

Campus Engagement

Open Houses

Two open houses will take place on Thursday, Apr. 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the student center's second floor lounge near the Gathering Stairs.

Survey

We're committed to creating a campus that meets the needs and aspirations of our students, faculty, and staff. Our initial survey to collect student, staff and faculty input has been closed. Stay tuned for a new survey in Fall 2024.