Marist College Selects DLR Group to Design New Campus Master Plan

Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it will partner with Marist College to design a new campus-wide master plan for its campus in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., according to a news release. The plan will serve as a blueprint for the Marist 100 initiative, a strategic plan that aligns with the college’s centennial celebration in 2029. Marist has a 242-acre riverfront campus in the Hudson Valley and a population of about 5,500 undergraduate students.

DLR Group will engage with members of the college community at large—including faculty, staff, students, and administration—to maintain the campus’ quality and functionality while addressing a growing student population and diversity. The planning process will entail a series of open forums and sessions for the community. Ideas gathered “will further enhance Marist College’s identity, sense of place, and accessibility to the student body,” the news release reports. Marist and DLR will also explore new avenues of technology use for both academic and operational purposes.

“We are building our master campus plan at an exciting time as such strong momentum continues to propel Marist forward,” said Dr. Geoffrey Brackett, Executive Vice President of Operations and Community Relations at Marist College. “A well-designed plan with thoughtful community input will really accelerate how our campus spaces and infrastructure support the exceptional student learning and living experiences that have become the hallmark of a Marist education.”

Community engagement will involve town hall meetings, interactive workshops, online surveys, and more. This first phase of the process is expected to be complete by November 2024, according to the news release.

“As a community-oriented design firm, we take our commitment to campus engagement seriously,” said Kaveri Singh, AIA, Principal and Higher Education Leader with DLR Group. “More than anything, we’d like to have a holistic understanding of what Marist College is already doing to provide such a distinctive student experience and to create a master plan that elevates those existing practices.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.