The planning consultant team from DLR Group will host virtual workshops with the Working Groups and Steering Committee.
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The Steering Committee’s work during this semester has been focused on aligning the Comprehensive Campus Plan’s strategic direction with identified projects, their placement, and priority. In January, the Steering Committee confirmed the language and objectives of the plan’s Mission Statement, from which five foundational principles for Comprehensive Campus Plan development were derived: Academic Experience, Student Experience, Inclusivity & Accessibility, Visibility & External Impact, and Facilities Transformation & Sustainability. These principles are tied to the President’s strategic initiatives and serve as cornerstones for the identification and prioritization of key projects.
Early in the semester, DLR Group shared plan progress in the ‘Current Topics in Higher Education’ series. In this talk, DLR Group spoke about lessons learned from Bryn Mawr’s past planning heritage and how they will inform present-day decisions. It was emphasized that Bryn Mawr’s future development will be based on respecting and retaining past planning, addressing strategic needs, and improving the academic, student, and residential experience. Inclusivity, accessibility, and sustainability were also identified as core values that would inform decision-making and policy.
Early concepts were developed in February which drew on community feedback received during engagement, VALUES and Big Ideas Workshops, surveys, and Working Group sessions. In these, DLR Group tested various locations for new facilities, renovation projects, and open space initiatives. Key feedback received from Working Group reviews in January and February and incorporated into the development of the Comprehensive Campus Plan has included: support for locating a centralized dining hall on campus, advocacy for the relocation of the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, interest in additional variety in residential housing offerings, and resonance with idea of a ‘Library of the Future’ that is an academic showcase for Bryn Mawr. Concerns were expressed over maintaining sufficient and accessible parking on campus and the need to maintain centralized bookstore and mailbox functions on campus. Further interest was expressed in open space improvements such as obtaining arboretum status for the Bryn Mawr campus and identifying opportunities for outdoor classrooms.
DLR Group will be back on campus in mid-April for a final set of reviews with the ‘Academy’ Working Group, the ‘Student Experience’ Working Group, and the ‘Institutional Space and Grounds’ Working Group. In these sessions, they will seek feedback on the facilities and open space improvement projects included in each group’s specific area of focus, in addition to providing input on the appropriate priority and sequencing of projects.
The Comprehensive Campus Plan will wrap up in May as DLR Group’s work on campus concludes, after a year of engagement, workshopping and collaboration with students, faculty and staff on campus.