If we want to get bigger, than we’re going to have to think of getting more land and Wauwatosa is very logical.

As another semester draws to a close, students are not the only ones pondering their future. Administrators and faculty alike are setting their sights on the changing face of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the next five to 10 years with the help of the UWM Master Plan.

In July 2007, the UW Board of Regents allotted $2 million to develop a comprehensive master plan for the university, which will take two years to produce. The plan will seek to assess current and prospective academic and facilitative needs of all UWM departments and programs, as well as any and all opportunities for growth and expansion.

With over 29,000 students already utilizing a mere 93 acres, issues of overcrowding and space usage are pervasive in all discussions of university growth.

“I think that most people feel that the Kenwood campus is seriously congested,” said Alan Horowitz, professor of civil engineering as well as chair of the Engineering and Basic Sciences Subcommittee.

The subcommittee is one of three groups on campus whose charge it is to assess all areas of UWM academics to determine what direction they might see themselves going should the opportunity for curricular, research or facilitative growth arise.

“If we have an excellent master planning process, we will know what we want,” said Horowitz.

Currently, the master planning subcommittees are attempting to reach out to their academic constituencies in the university via questionnaire for input on current and prospective research, as well as any desired changes or additions in degree programs or interdisciplinary studies.

Earlier this year the state legislature approved a new Decision Item Narrative providing an additional $8.4 million annually to UWM’s budget, some of which will be used to hire more faculty and staff. Coupled with UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago’s desire for an increased focus on research initiatives, which he outlined in his fall 2007 plenary speech, the general consensus of faculty and administrators is that the master plan is incredibly timely.

During a number of committee meetings, several faculty members voiced concern over the diversity of departmental representation in the final planning process, as well as the comparability of the information gathered. However, members of the administration involved in the master planning process as well as several others continually stress the process as ongoing and thorough.

“We’re working hard to make sure everyone gets their say,” said Horowitz.

UWM Provost Rita Cheng, a member of the Executive Leadership Team in charge of oversight of the planning, also stated that any facilitative planning must be prompted by academic needs. According to Cheng, to put it quite simply, the goals of the master plan are to determine “what we value, and where we are going.”

The plan will almost certainly address the possible acquisition and utilization of the Columbia Hospital facilities on Maryland Avenue when the consolidated Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital opens in 2010.

Given its proximity to the existing Kenwood campus, Columbia appears to make sense, explained UWM Director of Planning and Construction Claude Schuttey, as a very natural opportunity to expand.

Despite the neighborhood’s expressed reservations toward the possible acquisition, Schuttey said he would like to see the facility operate in a similar capacity to Kenilworth Square.

“It could have a really rich mix of uses including academic space and residential space,” Schuttey said.

Other possibilities for physical expansion include Wauwatosa and Downtown. In November, Michael J. Cudahy pledged an unspecified amount of money for UWM to purchase roughly 83 acres of land near Highway 45. While it hasn’t been determined which schools or departments might relocate to a Wauwatosa facility, The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is a likely candidate.

“If we want to get bigger, than we’re going to have to think of getting more land and Wauwatosa is very logical,” Horowitz said. “However, it is a long way,” he added.

The Aurora Sinai Site in Milwaukee’s downtown area is also being investigated for possible use for the proposed UWM School of Public Health, according to UWM’s Master Plan Web site. If approved, it would be the first school added to the university since 1975.

The last master plan for UWM was completed in 1970. Nearly 40 years later, UWM is a very different institution.

The University of Wisconsin conducts a master plan approximately every five years. However, according to UW System Representative Kate Sullivan, the magnitude of Milwaukee’s master plan will be much greater.

At a faculty senate meeting in October, Chancellor Santiago referred to the potential expansion as, “the largest in this campus’ history.”

In August, the State Building Commission authorized the hiring of a master plan consultant, whose job it would be to implement the current academic planning into specific growth scenarios for the university, which would then determine a course of action. While prospective consulting teams are still being reviewed by the Department of Administration, there is significant buzz surrounding the project.

“We definitely have national caliber firms interested,” said Sullivan.

The DOA in conjunction with the UW System, plan to narrow the candidates down to four in the next few months, with a final selection slated for March 8, 2008.

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