A facilities master plan is often described as a road map to future greatness. Destination and direction are set by prior planning work, including both strategic and academic planning efforts. To effectively establish the value of alternative approaches to meet stated goals and objectives it is critical to first develop an objective yardstick to weigh differences and measure success.

One of the first exercises conducted across the University was the development of a set of planning principles that would serve as such a yardstick. Through a series of meetings at varying scales with a wide range of members of the campus community, the planning team identified a broad range of drivers and criteria. Over one hundred meetings were held, including open community presentations, workshops involving dozens of participants, narrowly defined focus groups and individual interviews. These meetings generated dozens of recommendations that are detailed further in the master plan report but collectively can be organized into three overarching principles:

Each idea presented for consideration was evaluated to determine the degree to which it satisfied specific planning principles relative to other concept alternatives. This methodology provided an effective toolkit to arrive at conclusions in which both the campus and SUCF can now have confidence. The objective and impartial nature of the principles sets the plan's focus on the strength of the overall institution and will greatly facilitate its eventual implementation.

Information Gathering

Informational Interviews

Dean Meetings

Roundtables

Workshops

Department Walk Back Mtgs

Open Forums