Campus Master Plan

Q and A

What will Wake Forest's campus look like in 10 or more years? A master planning process is beginning this fall to answer that question. Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management Jim Alty answers questions about what the plan will mean for the campus.

When was the last campus plan developed?

Wake Forest has actually had only one master plan, the one that Jens Larson developed in the 1950s. It has been updated three times, in 1988, 1991 and 2000, but in each of those updates the focus was more on a specific area of campus or to address specific needs, such as a site for a building, rather than looking at the campus as a whole.

Can we view the previous plans?

The 2000 update is available through the master plan Web site. Ayers/Saint/Gross will look at all the previous plans and review them in the context of our current needs; as there are certainly some good thoughts in those plans that are relevant even now. Looking at the 2000 update will give members of the campus community a good idea of what a master plan is and perhaps spark some discussion and ideas.

What will the master plan entail?

The master plan is an effort to understand current and future needs, not just in terms of buildings, but also in terms of traffic and parking, the environment, green spaces, water sheds, utilities, etc. The thrust of a campus master plan is not to identify individual or departmental space needs. It's a more broad-based look at the campus. One of the most important things a good plan does is look at the "synergies" between buildings as well as providing for a landscape scheme that knits the buildings together. A good example of that is our "science quad" where the three science buildings are located close together.

What assumptions is ASG starting with about growth or specific needs that have already been identified?

If you look at what some other schools have done, some have stated objectives or assumptions at the outset about what their campus needs are. We have intentionally not done that so as to not constrain the campus community in their thinking. We want to reach out to the community in this process and find out what the needs are and hopefully come up with a final plan that meets those needs in a manner that respects the history and traditions of the current campus while providing a roadmap for future development.

Shouldn't this process have waited until after the Strategic Planning Process is completed?

Certainly the two plans overlap. At this point, the strategic plan is far enough along that we've gained a very strong understanding of what the campus feels is important and what the space needs might be for those strategic priorities. As we go through the master planning process over the next 12 months, those priorities will certainly influence the development of the master plan. But we don't need to wait until the strategic plan is completed in order to begin the master planning process

Will the master planning process include just the campus proper or extend to surrounding areas, such as Polo Road, and even over to Deacon Boulevard?

The primary focus of the plan will be the Reynolda Campus, not on surrounding properties.

How will the process ensure that those with historical knowledge of and appreciation for the campus' special appeal and environment be heard?

The process is set up to be very inclusive of the entire campus community. I know people feel very strongly about the tradition, the charm of campus, its residential nature. The core of campus is impressive; it's clearly well-thought out and well integrated. It's very important that we not lose those aspects as we grow. We have planned several open forums for the campus community, as well as the local community, to provide input to the plan and to be kept updated as the plan develops.

Will other forums be held?

Yes. Faculty/staff forums will be held at different times this fall during ASG's site visits to accommodate different schedules.

What happens after the master plan is completed?

There will be additional forums for the community to review the plan and express their opinions. It's important to remember that the master plan is not so much one final document as options to consider for the future. Generally a master plan attempts to cover a 20 to 50 year time period in terms of how the campus should develop. So after the master plan is finalized, there will be a shorter term plan that sets priorities to cover five to 10 years. That also means that it is helpful to update a master plan every five to 10 years in order to adapt the plan to changing conditions.