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WMU looks for input in updating campus master plan

Oct. 7, 2008

KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University officials are soliciting input from members of the University community and the general public to help in a 2008 review and update of the Campus Master Plan that provides priorities and guidelines for future physical development.

Planning workshops and input sessions are scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, and 9 a.m. to noon Friday, Oct. 24. Both sessions will be held in Room 2020 of the Fetzer Center. Each session will include information about the history of the WMU master plan as well as a two-hour input session. The sessions are open to all interested people on the campus and in the community.

"We want people to understand the factors that are considered when changes are proposed," says David Dakin, director of WMU's Campus Facility Development. "We're out to share information about what's been guiding us and to get input on what the plan could look like as we move forward."

Dakin says this is the first time since the 1999-2000 academic year that the Campus Master Plan has been scheduled for close review and updating. The 2000 plan was the result of a similar series of meetings and planning sessions. Published under the heading, "A View to the Future," the plan includes sections on primary goals and fundamental concepts and also includes sub-campus recommendations for several sections of the main campus.

Typically, Dakin notes, a master plan looks 20 or more years into the future to provide tools for managing growth and anticipating problems or opportunities. It provides functional guidelines for achieving the university's academic mission and managing the physical development of the campus, and may be used to plan and prioritize the construction and funding of future buildings, and manage space and facility needs. Periodic reviews every five to 10 years are necessary to keep the master plan relevant and usable, incorporating not only the physical changes that have occurred on campus, but also changes in academic mission. Neighborhood and regional issues should be revisited as well.

For more information, contact Dakin at (269) 387-8543 or david.dakin@wmich.edu.

Media contact: Cheryl Roland, (269) 387-8400, cheryl.roland@wmich.edu

WMU News
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