Campus Master Plan Gains Board Approval
Trustees at Arkansas Tech University approved a campus master plan on Oct. 19, 2017, that aligns with the institution’s strategic plan and establishes both short-term priority projects and long-term facility aspirations for all ATU campuses and properties over the next 10-to-20 years.
“This campus master plan is the collective vision of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the university who served on committees over the past year,” said Dr. Robin E. Bowen, ATU president. “We extend our appreciation to Dr. Mohamed Abdelrahman, vice president for academic affairs, and Bernadette Hinkle, vice president for administration and finance, for their leadership of the planning phase of the campus master plan and to Jayne Jones, coordinator of special projects, for all of her hard work in shepherding the logistics of what has been a smooth and highly participatory process.”
Committee work on the campus master plan began in January 2017. Open forums were held to provide all members of the university community an opportunity to give input before the plan went to the ATU Board of Trustees for approval.
“Priorities are specific to ATU and have been developed based on a knowledge of the campus needs, current and potential enrollment and financial conditions,” wrote Perkins+Will, campus master planning consultants, in the report presented to trustees. “The master plan acknowledges that prioritization is not the same as implementation. A priority may still take several years to achieve if the funding required is substantial.”
PRIORITY PROJECTS
NEW ENTRANCE TO CAMPUS
STUDENT UNION AND RECREATION CENTER
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
ACADEMIC CENTER FOR STEM PROGRAMS
NEW STUDENT HOUSING
On the Ozark campus of Arkansas Tech, priority projects include the construction of a new academic and conference facility and the relocation of the shop area.“This collective vision will ‘put the tech back in Tech’ and has gone a long way to aligning all participants under the ‘ATU: One University’ banner of the strategic plan,” wrote Perkins+Will in the conclusion of its report to trustees.
The implementation phase of the campus master plan will be led on a project-by-project basis by the ATU Board of Trustees.