This is a follow-up to the Master Planning update that was sent to everyone in October 2003.

At the time of my last report the steering committee had reviewed and approved the needs report prepared by PEA (Perkins Eastman Architects). Since that time, PEA has been in a design phase and delivered three preliminary schemes for review by the following groups:

• Academic Affairs Subcommittee
• Student Affairs Subcommittee
• Physical Plant Subcommittee
• Community Affairs Subcommittee
• All-campus meetings (two)
• Student Senate
• Steering Committee (three times)
• Two special meetings with the selectmen and planning committees from the towns of Plymouth and Holderness.

During all of these meetings each of the three schematic designs were reviewed and the pros and cons of each plan were reviewed and discussed.

The Steering Committee is pleased to report that we have recommended a final design for the University Master Plan. At a meeting on February 14, 2004, the committee met with PEA and agreed unanimously to proceed with the final design. This plan is primarily a combination of the Holderness Campus and North Campus schemes that will, when completed, lay out a rather aggressive plan to achieve the following goals:

1. New and updated facilities:
   1. Add 650 new beds on campus in the Langdon Park area.
   2. Provide an upgrade to the PE facility and add a Natatorium, ice rink and academic space for the HPER Department.
   3. Provide for a renovation and an addition to Hyde Hall.
   4. Provide for a new academic facility in the area of Holmes House.
2. Provide recommendations for circulation space around campus, including traffic and pedestrian flow as well as parking and shuttle options.
3. Recommendations for classroom reconfigurations to right size them for the space. Our current classrooms average 17 sq ft. per student, the plan calls for 25 sq.ft. per student.
4. We will be addressing issues of deferred maintenance such as a major upgrade to Mary Lyon Hall, which is in need of an overhaul.
5. Landscaping, campus signage, parking, and pedestrian traffic will be addressed.
6. A new topic in this plan is sustainability. This will provide standards and guidelines to the campus on how to build and renovate buildings in ways that help make PSU environmentally sustainable into the future.

The final draft of the plan will be delivered at the end of this month and a presentation to the USNH Board of Trustees is scheduled for April 16, 2004. At that time we will mount the full plan on the web and make it accessible to everyone on campus.

It is important to remember that this is a plan. The University is responsible for obtaining the funding necessary to complete it. Our 1992 plan was very successful; however, a lack of funding meant that we were unable to complete all of the elements of the plan within the 10-year horizon.

I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to be involved in this process, particularly the Steering Committee. This has been a long process, but it has also been a lot of fun.

Bill Crangle
Financial Affairs