Today Joyce Jacobsen and I sent out an email about two upcoming open discussions of our facilities planning. Here it is.
Three years ago we worked with consultants from Sasaki Associates, Inc. and Eastley & Partners to develop planning principles to guide campus development over the coming years. Broad input from faculty, staff and students about how they actually use the physical spaces on campus was crucial to this process. Since then, with guidance from these principles, we have made a number of improvements to campus – such as renovating two floors of Fisk Hall, the new Shapiro Writing Center, the new Resource Center, a student-controlled maker space, and adding the informal learning spaces in Exley.
Following on these positive changes, we are now considering what facilities improvements to make next. While we have made real progress in our planning, much is yet to be decided, and at this stage we are reaching out for broad input across many areas including moving the DAC collections into Olin Library, expanding the current digital design studio into a larger digital design commons, renovating the south gallery in Zilkha, building the third phase of the Center for Film Studies, renovating the PAC and building a new science building to replace Hall-Atwater. A forum dedicated to facilities planning will be held on February 6, during common time (11:50 am) and another on February 13, at 4:30 pm. Both will be in the Kerr Lecture Hall (Shanklin 107). At both forums, we will present a brief outline regarding the planning process and some currently salient ideas and then open the floor for comments, suggestions and questions.
These forums are open to all faculty, staff and students. We hope to see you there!
Joyce Jacobsen
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Andrews Professor of Economics
Michael S. Roth
President
Congratulations to the Investment Office and the Board on the performance of the endowment in 2017, as reflected in the recently posted year-end report. Wesleyan is making notable progress towards an endowment capable of sustaining its aspirations, but more needs to be done and support is crucial. Hopefully, alumni and friends will reward the University’s progress by increasing their donations to an enterprise distinguished by academic excellence and financial discipline.
David Harfst, Class of 1972