As part of the process to develop a new strategic plan setting goals for Murray State University’s future, President Ron Patterson has announced that the school is also working to develop a guide on the best use of the campus’s existing buildings – and address whether any new structures are needed.
The campus master plan is an extension of the strategic plan, which aims to provide MSU with a blueprint on how it could improve student’s experiences, innovate academics and enhance community engagement over the next three years. As part of the process to develop a new strategic plan, school officials are evaluating how the Murray campus’s physical structures can best be used in alignment with MSU’s longer-term goals.
According to an email announcing the campus building initiative to MSU students and staff, the plan will focus on nearly 50 buildings between the main campus and the West Farm campus, home to several university-affiliated agricultural spaces.
Jason Youngblood is Murray State’s assistant vice president of facilities management. He said the new campus master plan is not just about new buildings, but also looking at how current academic halls and other campus spaces are being used.
“We'll be looking at more of the older buildings, [and] how [they] could be repurposed,” Youngblood said.
According to information presented to Kentucky’s Capital Planning Advisory Board last year, more than 50 buildings on MSU’s main campus were built before 1970, eight of which were built prior to 1940. In the document submitted to the state advisory board overseeing state buildings, Murray State officials said most of these buildings have received minimal maintenance over the years due to fund limitations and “are nearing or have exceeded their useful life expectancy.”
While new buildings could address some of these concerns, those projects are costly – and Youngblood said the process from planning new facilities to opening those buildings’ doors takes years.
However, he said the campus master plan could produce some more immediate effects.
“There could be some simple things that are found to move departments that correlate well together, move them closer to each other, if there's space available to better utilize and combine offices together to where they can be more efficient in their functions,” Youngblood said.
In collaboration with BHDP Architecture, Murray State’s master plan development process will move through three phases. . The first of these steps is to understand or establish goals and visions that make the Murray State experience unique. Once these goals and vision are set, focus groups with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community leaders will be held so that they can help identify specific needs and challenges with campus. The final step is to turn these findings from the focus groups, combine them with the goals and visions and turn them into an implementable plan – including campus reorganization and cost planning for the future.
The new plan could also include the destruction of buildings. By demolishing structures that will no longer be in use, Youngblood said it could open up opportunities for new spaces to take their place.
“The master plan will probably help to identify areas that, hey, if, if this building eventually is going to go away someday, this will be a great place for a new building, or use this space for green space, or expand parking into this area.”
While the plan has been presented, the changes will be months to years down the road. The goals and focus groups could be seen as early as four months down the road, but Youngblood said bigger changes to the look of Murray State could be years in the making.
But as far as seeing physical changes on campus, there could be some simple things that are found to move departments that correlate well together, move them closer to each other, if there's space available to better utilize and combine offices together to where they can be more efficient in their functions. That could be some more immediate changes.
