Trustees approve PSU master plan
Trustees of the University System of New Hampshire have approved a long-range master plan for Plymouth State University.
The plan, said PSU President Donald P. Wharton, identifies many opportunities for the school, including a more cohesive architectural image that will enhance its visual identity both as a university campus and as a part of the Plymouth community.
Guidelines for improving the academic and student environment include adjusting classroom size and balancing room use, providing more indoor and outdoor student gathering places across campus and expanding space for physical education. Future academic need is predicated on the assumption that there will only be a modest increase in traditional undergraduate student enrollment, with primary growth occurring as a result of non-traditional and graduate student enrollment.
“Through rededication and renovation of selected spaces across campus, both residential and commuting students will have more opportunity for the kinds of social and academic interaction that are so important to their university experience,” said Wharton.
Highlights of the long-range plan include:
• Add residence hall spaces that will, over time, provide 650 new beds on campus. Ground will be broken on university property in spring 2005 for the first new residence hall, which will have space for 350 students.
• Upgrade and expand the physical education center in Holderness.
• “Right size” classrooms to match their use. Current classrooms average 17 square feet per student; the plan calls for 25 square feet per student.
• Address issues of deferred maintenance in all residence halls with a particular focus on energy efficiency.
• Expand Hyde Hall to increase academic space.
• Create an entranceway for the university that directs visitors to one location, creating a “sense of arrival.” Relocate admission and administrative functions to Rounds Hall, the most recognizable landmark on campus and the campus’ ceremonial heart.
• Address landscaping, campus signage, parking and pedestrian traffic
The full plan is available for review on line at plymouth.edu.
