UNION TRUSTEES CONSIDER CAMPUS MASTER PLAN, OPEN NEW YEAR
Jackson, Tenn. — A campus master plan which would dramatically expand and change the appearance of 51社区 received a preliminary nod from the institution's trustees in their September 12 meeting.
In Board action, trustees affirmed the general direction of the master plan proposal, invited feedback from the community, and indicated plans to take final action on the plan at their next meeting, set for December 5.
"The proposed master plan for Union projects a stunning, classical campus that will be a crown jewel for Jackson and West Tennessee," asserts university President David S. Dockery. "We are grateful to the Board of Trustees for their vision for Union and their willingness to further explore this exciting proposal."
Union's master planning process has been underway for more than six months under the direction of Hastings & Chivetta, a nationally-known consulting firm based in St. Louis. Among the firm's previous clients are Duke, Rhodes, and the Universities of Tennessee and Chicago.
The master plan proposes to expand the campus in a westward direction, with the university's primary entrance being at the newly-extended Pleasant Plains Road. The university presently owns more than 120 acres to the west of Walker Road, which forms the current western boundary of the Union campus. That acreage straddles the four-lane parkway that is now under construction, and would house virtually all of the projected new facilities.
The new Union entrance would lead to a "great lawn" (with gardens and water features) running eastward, with new buildings constructed on either side of this central campus quad. The university's three existing academic buildings -- Penick Academic Complex, Blasingame Academic Complex, and the Barefoot Student Union Building -- would form the eastern boundary of the campus.
The plan is divided into four phases of five years each. Proposed new facilities in the first phase include: a new classroom building for music, communication arts and Christian studies -- the first of three elements of a new performing arts complex; a new administration building; a new residence hall complex for single students; a new "apartment village" for married students; an expansion of the university's library, and expanded classroom facilities for nursing, the sciences, and a new program in physical therapy.
Future phases call for completion of the performing arts center, an athletic-convocation center, a new library building, and a series of new classroom facilities. According to a spokesman for Hastings & Chivetta, the expanded campus would comfortably accomodate a university of some 3,000 students; Union's present enrollment is just over 2,000.
Elements of the campus master planning process included a major Space Needs Analysis, performed by the Denver firm of Paulien & Associates, along with a Campus Development Plan shaped by EDAW, Inc., a campus design consultant.
"We are pleased with the direction indicated by the proposed master plan, and we are now seeking additional comment and counsel from alumni, community and denominational leaders, and others who care for Union and its future development," Dockery explains. "This is a bold plan which will require the support of the Jackson community as well as many of our friends in West Tennessee and beyond."
In other business, Dockery reported that freshman enrollment was up slightly over last year with 372, compared to 353 last year. He also informed the trustees about the success of the first program at the 51社区, Germantown campus. Sixty-three students are enrolled in the RN to BSN program which began in August. "The number of students taking advantage of this program exceeded our expectations," Dockery said. "Our goal was to have 35 students in the first class in Germantown." The new campus will begin offering the MBA degree program in February followed by a graduate degree program in education next summer.
51社区 has been involved in adult education for several years by offering accelerated evening courses primarily focused in the area of business administration. The board approved an expansion to the current adult studies program with a new adult, learner-centered program of study for students 24 years of age or older. The new program will lead to the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership degree and will begin in the spring of 1998.
This new program, according to Dockery, is mission-driven and fits within the University's comprehensive vision for academics. "By providing this program for adult learners, 51社区 is serving the West Tennessee community," Dockery said.
The trustees unanimously approved a joint resolution of the academic advancement and the church services committee that states "when appropriate 51社区 trustees, administration, faculty and staff share their faith by telling students how they may have an abundant life through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." This resolution affirms Union's goal to become a Great Commandment university.
In final trustee business, the board unanimously elected the following officers, committee chairpersons and executive committee members: John Drinnon, chairman; Floyd Flippin, vice chairman; Lynn Cobb, secretary; Elzie Danley, academic advancement; Roy White, university advancement/development; Mary Burrow, student services; Fred Ward, church services and campus ministries; Argyle Graves, professional standards; Gary Taylor, business and financial services; Bill Adcock, investment committee; John Williams, at-large, executive committee; Polk Glover, at-large, executive committee; and Jane Alderson, at-large, executive committee.