Many had questions on the status of some of the plans being put into action at WCU, so a university wide forum was held to sort some things out.
Chancellor, Dr. David Belcher, the Provost, Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar, and Vice Chancellors, Dr. Tim Metz and Michael Byers were at a forum on April 27 in the University Center to update the public on the status of the university wide plans that are starting to go into effect.
The plans discussed were the 20/20 Plan, the Millennial Initiative, and the Campus Master Plan. It has been three years since the strategic plan for Western Carolina has been completed and approved.
“Strategic plans aren’t worth the time making them if they’re not followed through,” Chancellor Belcher said.
From the presented there will be some important changes in the look of WCU.
One thing that Chancellor Belcher was excited about is that there is currently a proposal going through congress right now of a bond proposed by the Governor. This bond would grant $115 Million to Western in order to renovate the Natural Science Building. Belcher called the Natural Science Building “old”, “outdated”, and “not adequate.” The master plan envisions the new science building with 130.000 GSF that will stand where is now the old science building , the parking and the park around it.
The Assistant Vice Chancellor for Institutional Planning and Effectiveness, Dr. Tim Metz, spoke on the 20/20 plan. He informed the audience on the current status of the 20/20 plan and what was being done to continue its success. The entire 20/20 plan is laid out on this website. The 20/20 plan is split up into six different strategic directions, they span from things such as enhancing educational needs to gaining support for the vision of the 20/20 plan. Within these six directions there are twenty six goals and eighty five initiatives that go along with them.
Tony Johnson, the Executive Director of Millennial Initiatives, talked about the plans of extending the Millennial Campus, the area around the Health and Human Science Building which was completed in 2012. The main site for the Millennial Campus will be across the street from the main campus where the HHS is already located.
Johnson explained that the next building to go at the Millennial Campus will be a medical office building. Before the time construction begins, administration will be working on finding a developer to build the new medical office building. Johnson said that this medical office building should be complete by 2017.
Campus Master Plan illustrates what the campus will look like in the near future. Unlike the 20/20 plan that lists details, involvements, and timelines, the Master Plan is full of before and after pictures that may take over this campus as soon as 2017.
See where those changes will happen and how they will look.
Barrett Boyles contributed to the report.
