Trustees approve master plans

The ECU Board of Trustees on Friday (Nov. 8) approved new master plans for the East Campus and the Health Sciences Campus and signed off on the concept for the expansion of the Rivers Building.

The East Campus plan focuses on developments on land the university already owns and outlines projects for which additional land will be needed. An earlier draft of the plan, which envisioned expansion of the campus to the east and in downtown Greenville, had provoked protests from neighborhood groups and some merchants.

The health sciences plan calls for building new facilities for the Schools of Nursing and Allied Health behind the Brody School of Medicine. The schools would anchor a “learning village” that could eventually include elements such as housing for health sciences students.

Bruce Flye, chief university architect, said the plans, if completed, could accommodate the 27,000-student enrollment projected at the end of this decade. That total would include 25,000 on the East Campus and 2,000 at the medical complex. Phase 1 of the plan, which includes critical academic expansions and renovations, would expand the capacity of the East Campus to about 20,500 students.

The phase would see construction of projects funded by the higher education facilities bonds just approved by voters as well as self-liquidating projects such as the west end dining hall, Strength and Conditioning Center and possibly a new residence hall on university property in downtown Greenville. Projects to be funded by the bonds include the Science and Technology Building, a major addition to the Rivers Buildings, and renovations of Flanagan, Rivers and the Old Cafeteria Building.

The Rivers Building addition approved by the trustees will be immediately west of the current facility, between Rivers and Speight. It is a three-story project of about 30,000 square feet. Phase 2 in the plan envisions developing remaining university property to achieve estimated enrollment growth to 22,500 students.

Further development to house the targeted 25,000 students would require acquisition of additional property as it become available. The complete plan is built around six concepts: The campus should maintain an academic core that would allow the majority of undergraduate teaching space to be contained within a small geographic area. Those programs not essential to the undergraduate experience, such as financial services, human resources, printing and information technology, should be located off the academic core.

Most residential expansion should occur outside the academic core, but it should be close by to maintain the character and quality of a residential campus. The campus open space network, particularly the green edge of the campus along Fifth Street should be replicated on other campus properties as development occurs. Parking demands will exceed capacity in the academic core and should be located elsewhere but close enough to assure safety and convenience. The campus should continue to maintain playing fields and wooded preserves at its extreme perimeter.