<p>Hey Parents of CC, I just watch the documentary Ivory Tower, which talks about the excesses that exist in higher education, and had recently read an article about Drexel's Campus Masterplan, which was quite ambitious. I was wondering what colleges have you guys seen that have very ambitious "Master plans?" Also, what are your thoughts on the construction boom taking place at colleges?</p>
<p>Many univs have links to their Master Plans on their websites. They’re competing for students, so they want to have the latest and greatest buildings to offer, whether new or remodeled.</p>
<p>I would be suspect if I visited a campus and nothing had changed in the last decade.</p>
<p>Here is a link to the master plan for Northeastern University in Boston:</p>
<p><a href=“Northeastern University Institutional Masterplan”>http://www.northeastern.edu/masterplan/the-master-plan/current-imp-projects</a></p>
<p>A similar plan was completed in 2012. When announced in 2002 everyone said it would never be realizrf, but it was and then some.</p>
<p>The first major building in the new plan is underway. </p>
<p>I have kept track of U Wisconsin-Madison. The Residence Halls has had a nice many year plan to build new dorms and refurbish the old, happy to see ongoing changes. Likewise the university has plans for more changes, improvements have been made over the decades since I was there. All very logical. So happy they are not stuck with keeping every building et al. Some were relics of cheaply built 1960’s era building programs, a few never should have been approved architecturally. I also like the variety of buildings- no adherence to any one boring architectural style. A revamp of one area will also be more logical than decades ago plans. It helps to have some 900 acres to play with.</p>
<p>Schools compete not only for students but for professors, research grants etc. as well. Many schools are expanding – the important thing is that they do it in a fiscally responsible and logical manner. There is building going on and recently completed on my S’s former school and at my D’s current school which have been fully paid for and they have improved the facilities for students and professors alike. Having a master plan is important to insure that any major projects are done in a logical and well though out manner.</p>
<p>Boston College has an ambitious master plan, much of which was made possible by the purchase of a large plot of land a few years ago across the street from the eastern part of the main campus.</p>
<p>Right now the big trend here in CA is community colleges remodeling to attract a large number of international students. </p>
<p>Drexel is unusual in having such ambitious goals for their enrollment growth. Over the last 15 years, they’ve taken over 2 med schools and a 200 year old science museum/research center, and have more recently acquired a large piece of West Philadelphia. They started a brand new law school that they had to re-name to get money to continue it.</p>
<p>Most colleges added fancy fitness centers, many amenities, and new science buildings in recent years, and are now trying to pay down their debt and maintain their current enrollment.</p>
<p>Both my kids’ schools (Northwestern and Wellesley) have master plans online. I think they are very interesting and I like to read the thought process behind how they allocate money and how they balance all the considerations, constituencies and competing needs. NU was very much built helter skelter and I’m glad that they are taking measures to provide a more unified and coherent campus look. I think physical facilities are VERY important. </p>
<p>20 years ago, I thought big fancy fitness centers were a waste. Nowadays I believe they are spot-on. I wouldn’t “accept” a nice hotel that didn’t have good facilities; I would want any school I’d consider to have a decent facility as well.</p>
<p>^^
True…especially when you see how much use they get. Students are going to be more drawn to work out in very attractive fitness centers. Some schools are building multiple fitness centers, placing some smaller ones closer to dorms to relieve some of the crowdedness at the main center, but also to make access easier.</p>
<p>I think nowadays they are also a social venue of sorts, and I think it’s a nice social venue that provides an alternative to other, shall we say less healthful social venues. Very different from our day, in which we girls did Jane Fonda style high impact aerobics on a concrete gym floor!</p>
<p>Yeah, but there are also schools such as NYU, Cooper Union, and Drexel that are expanding rapidly without considering the school’s fiscal constraints. Cooper Union had to charge tuition for the first time to help alleviate its budgetary problems. Should schools let financial aid suffer in order to build facilities that attract international and upper-middle class students, who have to pay full tuition? </p>
<p>I’m gonna be sort of hypocritical here and say that I loved Dickinson College’s new Kline Athletic Center. It’s very nice and if I do attend Dickinson I would love to work out there.</p>
<p>Both my DD’s colleges are building and renovating. DD1’s college built a new freshman dorm and then 3 more upper classmen dorms. They’re quite nice. They’ve also renovated the grounds and rebuilt the stadium. DD2’s college is much smaller and has renovated its iconic and oldest classroom building, added new dorms, renovated others, and completely rebuilt the dining hall. </p>
<p>Yes, I’m fearful that Drexel is over-expanding too fast, in a highly competitive environment. The number of high school grads in the northeast keeps falling, and there are many cheaper alternatives to Drexel. They have greatly improved the appearance of what had been an ugly campus.</p>
<p>Cooper Union ran into financial trouble because they spent way too much money on a large fancy new building, which wasn’t even fully occupied. </p>
<p>Yes, nicely appointed gyms and fitness centers have become social centers for many students. In some ways, they have taken the place of student union buildings.</p>
<p>Drexel’s relatively new president, John Fry, was the point person for Penn’s former president Judith Rodin when Penn did a massive expansion/renovation of its campus and surrounding areas roughly a decade ago. He’s an exceptional leader and institution-builder, and it surprises no one that Drexel has an ambitious master plan. He has already notched a bunch of key accomplishments, including getting special tax benefits for private development in the areas surrounding the Drexel campus.</p>