Add as a preferred source on Google

Kent State University Board of Trustees Approves 10-Year Plan to Reshape, Revitalize Kent Campus

  • 05/25/18

KENT, OH – The Kent State University Board of Trustees adopted a 10-year facilities master plan that embarks on a $1 billion transformative journey of the Kent Campus to better serve the needs of students and the entire Kent State community. The plan enhances the welcoming feel of the university’s iconic Front Campus and genuine sense of place, elevates inclusive healthy living-learning environments, links a campus-wide series of spaces focused on innovation and expands the dynamic synergy with the city of Kent.

The master plan would be implemented in three phases over the next decade, and would guide the alignment of university and external resources and capital investments with the objectives set forth in Kent State’s strategic roadmap.

“Everything we do must be through the eyes of our students, both today’s and tomorrow’s,” says Larry Pollock, chair of the Kent State Board of Trustees. “These enhancements will meet the needs of students for decades by providing them with the engaging, educational space they need to help shape the world. Each phase holds thoughtful enhancements focused on our students first commitment that will also raise the prominence of the university, the city of Kent and all who call this region their home.”

In addition to building improvements and purpose-built classrooms, studios, and labs, the plan includes a walkable campus core with new sidewalks and bike trails and proposes the extension of Kent State’s iconic Front Campus to include a signature Main Street gateway to the university.

Anchoring the Main Street gateway is a new College of Business Administration building and the addition of green space and a modern parking deck to replace current parking lots near the gateway entrance. Closer to the city of Kent, an innovation zone is planned adjacent to the Starbucks/Captain Brady site. New 24/7 maker spaces, multidisciplinary studios, and dining would form an innovation hub within the redesigned Art Building to meet student, faculty, and staff needs.

Teaching and learning enhancements include an addition to the Aeronautics and Technology building, a new Kent State University Airport classroom building, research lab expansion at the Integrated Sciences Building, and dynamic renovations to the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (MAC Center), and Kent Student Center, to name a few.

The strategies were developed with broad input from a series of highly engaged town hall and community meetings, and numerous informational sessions were held to seek input from students, faculty, and staff.

This 10-year plan will touch every college on the Kent Campus and strengthen the institution's connection to its home city of Kent.

Details about the updated plan can be found at https://atransformedksu.org.

Featured

  • Different Starting Points, Same End Goal

    Higher education campuses can enhance student experience by implementing mobile credentials to streamline building access, on-campus payments, and access to other amenities. This enables students to connect to their campuses through the technology they use most: their mobile devices.

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.

  • UNL Kiewit Hall

    Designing for Engineering Excellence: Integrating Sustainability and Wellness at UNLs Kiewit Hall

    Kiewit Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln exemplifies how academic institutions can integrate sustainability and wellness into modern learning environments. With an integrated and collaborative team approach, Kiewit Hall addresses enhanced learning and creativity, physical health, and mental wellness, and fosters a sense of community through innovative design, operations, and policy solutions.

Digital Edition