 What kind of institution should Champlain strive to be? What kinds of facilities will Champlain need—and what steps need to be taken—in order to make that vision a reality? Master planning is about making a roadmap for the future of a place. It’s about deciding where you want to go and charting a path to get there. Planning can help Champlain in the following ways: Fostering a Sense of Community Master planning is an opportunity for students, faculty, administrators, and trustees to work together to identify a common vision for Champlain’s future. It also provides opportunities for Champlain to build stronger relationships with neighbors, institutions, and with city officials. The more voices that are heard during this process, the stronger our plan will be. In addition, through master planning, we can organize our campus to make Champlain stronger as a community. We can examine the kinds of spaces that bring people on our campus together—for instance, gathering places, dining places, study places—and ensure that we have the high-quality, well-located spaces we need to keep our campus vibrant for years to come. Matching Facilities with Academic Mission Colleges need to make sure that their campuses—buildings, classrooms, “green” spaces, gathering places, faculty offices, administrative functions, residence halls and more—are configured to support their academic programs and mission. Champlain has changed a great deal in recent years, and the flexibility to continue changing over time will remain important. Champlain needs a campus plan that supports current and future program needs. Making sure that the little improvements add up to a desired big improvement As problems or needs arise, colleges make investments in their facilities. As the amount of space that given functions require grows or shrinks, changes are made in how a campus is organized. When there is a clear plan for an institution’s future, these investments and changes can happen in ways that move the college toward its long-term goals. A new master plan will provide Champlain with a guide for decision-making. GOALS OF THE PLAN In Progress! Help shape the direction of the Champlain Master Plan. Click here to find out about upcoming events, or tell us what you think through our online survey and suggestion box. ABOUT THE PROCESS The Champlain College master planning process began in early 2006 and will end in the fall. This process investigates opportunities to improve our campus in ways big and small: though large-scale, long-term actions such as building construction, and through smaller interventions such as how we use space—changes that can happen right away. The planning process has four phases: PHASE 1: Identification of Issues With the help of consultants at Goody Clancy, ORW, and Rickes Associates, the Champlain community will investigate what physical conditions are working well for the College and what could be improved. Campus tours, discussions with neighbors and city officials, open meetings, interviews with faculty, staff, and students, and the guidance of a steering committee will help to clarify campus context and issues. PHASE 2: Analysis and Alternatives How should the Champlain campus look and feel in the months and years ahead? The Champlain community—students, staff, faculty, trustees, and neighbors—will gather for an interactive, hands-on workshop called a charrette. Participants will work in small groups to design their ideal Champlain of the future, addressing the issues identified in Phase 1. The Champlain community will have opportunities to provide additional feedback at post-charrette drop-in sessions. The ideas and priorities that emerge from these sessions will be used to develop alternative scenarios for the future. PHASE 3: Draft Master Plan Based on the issues identified in Phase 1 and the ideas, priorities, and preferred alternatives that emerged in Phase 2, the consultants will draft a master plan. This will illustrate Champlain’s vision for the future and outline the steps that will enable the College to achieve that vision. PHASE 4: Final Master Plan The Champlain community will review and revise the draft plan. The final master plan will offer a workable and broadly embraced roadmap for the future of the campus. Once this plan is in place, Champlain College will begin to implement the campus vision. |
