As Augusta State nears the 7,200 enrollment mark that was previously determined to max out its capacity for service on the Walton Way campus, university officials kick off a new master planning effort to guide its future growth and development.
“ASU is embarking on a major master planning effort, an update of the 2004 master plan that will include a vision of the university’s future on Wrightsboro Road,” says Kathy Hamrick, ASU’s special coordinator for academic and master planning.
The Wrightsboro Road location—West Campus—will house a new 100,000 square foot, $28 million classroom building whose design funding has been approved by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents. The new academic building will house the College of Education and the Department of Nursing.
The master plan is not a building plan, says Dr. Hamrick. “It is the framework that helps us evaluate opportunities and make decisions based on the best benefit to students, faculty, and staff,” she adds.
For example, when the College of Education and Nursing Department move into the new academic building that is planned for West Campus, decisions will have to be made about the vacated space in University Hall. “The master plan has to be both practical and visionary, because it has to anticipate and accommodate decisions, based on our academic goals,” she adds.
As a first step, the Sizemore Group, along with assistance from R.W. Toole Engineers, will be developing the master plan update for the university. The four aspects of the master plan include 1) location of the new building; 2) recommendations for reallocation of space; 3) issues that arise from having two academic locations; and 4) future development of the university.
Nov 30, 2009
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