Campus Facility Master Plan

Policy Statement

The Facilities Master Plan will be used as a guide to Carolina University’s Board to address our facility and educational goals, setting timelines for decisions on issues like building improvements, improving the efficiency of our buildings and deciding on a choice policy.

The Facilities Master Plan will ensure that investments in our buildings support student learning objectives. The University has recognized enrollment challenges, and wants to be deliberate in the investigation and planning to identify the best long-term solutions for our students, our schools, and our community

Rationale

The Facilities Master Plan for Carolina University will ensure the following:

• Facilities provide spaces that support the educational programs and goals of the University.
• Provide a healthy, comfortable learning environment.
• Provide a safe and secure school environment.
• Meet current codes and regulations, including requirements for accessibility, fire-life-safety and structural safety.
• Achieve increased efficiency and effectiveness with a larger pool of resources

Policy Procedures

The Master Planning Process encompasses five phases:

• Phase 1: Master Planning Committee and Board establish goals.
• Phase 2: Committee and Board review data.
• Phase 3: Committee drafts Master Plan recommendations, shares with Board.
• Phase 4: Revision, discussion, adoption of the Plan.
• Phase 5: Implementation and annual review.

The University’s Facilities Master Plan will incorporate two distinct analyses, to assess both the educational adequacy of our facilities as well as their physical and structural integrity and investment needs.

Educational Adequacy Facilities Analysis

The educational adequacy analysis will provide an assessment of buildings to ensure that all spaces adequately support our educational goals. This analysis will identify needs as we upgrade facilities to meet the University’s educational program goals at each level. The following standards will be assessed through the educational adequacy facilities analysis:

• Capacity: Ability of core facilities to meet needs of the student population, given the educational programs at each campus. Building Capacity = # of available classrooms X maximum classroom size.
• Support for Programs: Provision of sufficient space to support the curriculum, beyond classroom, such as music, sports, etc.
• Technology: Adequacy of network infrastructure, wifi, and classroom AV.
• Supervision and Security: Extent to which building layout and technology help maintain secure, safe building operations.
• Outdoor Space: Existence of student spaces beyond the building itself that promote educational goals.

During the last seven years, every building on campus has undergone some form of major renovation. All campus buildings are in the best condition they have been in at any time during the last 30 years. Over the last 18 months, extensive remodeling and construction has occurred to improve the quality of life for the student population. There are currently no unaddressed issues in the areas of required immediate maintenance.

The planning team’s interpretation of the directions and goals of the University’s Strategic Plan, as they apply to this Facilities Master Plan, are embodied in the following five Strategic Objectives. Each of the proposed capital projects in this plan is tied to one or more of these objectives to illustrate how the project relates to the University’s Mission.

Strategic Objective 1: Demonstrate purposeful allocation of resources, make strategic investments in technology and facilities, and develop sustainable practices to create a supportive and collaborative 21st Century learning environment.

Strategic Objective 2: Create an environment that supports a collaborative, transparent, seamless, and student-focused set of aligned student services that will help prospective, incoming, and current students succeed with their educational and life goals.

Strategic Objective 3: Provide space that supports collaboration between the University, the community, local schools, businesses and industry.

Strategic Objective 4: Create appropriate support spaces such as offices, work areas, and storage facilities for academic and non-academic departments.

The capital projects recommended by this plan place learning first through the creation of 21st century learning environments; support student success and persistence through the consolidation of services for students; foster collaboration with regional business and industry; and ensure institutional effectiveness by maximizing the use of existing University resources through strategic investment in facilities and technology.

Facilities Analysis

Capacity Analysis

The functional capacity of the University will be determined by compiling an inventory of all classrooms and educational spaces and their current use. By comparing the functional capacity of the University to current and projected enrollment based on current school attendance boundaries, capacity utilization percentages will be calculated to guide planning.

Facility Condition Assessment

The facility condition assessment will evaluate each building’s overall condition, including its site, roof, structural integrity, the exterior building envelope, the interior, the health-fire-life-safety requirements, the accessibility issues requiring remediation, and the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, utilizing our 2019 facilities data as well as compiling additional needed data.