Strategic Plan Update on Advancements to the Campus Master Plan

By IC News staff, March 3, 2020
A message from the vice president for finance and administration and the Master Plan Goal co-chairs.

Dear Campus Community,

As you know, there is a great deal of work being done all across the campus to implement year-one objectives of the Ithaca Forever strategic plan.

We wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with an update on some capital and deferred maintenance projects approved to take place this summer that relate to three of the strategic plan goals: to advance the Campus Master Plan and improve space utilization to enhance the student experience and promote teaching and learning; to help the college become a year-round campus for living and learning opportunities; and to develop cross-sector and community partnerships that address challenging issues, optimize the use of resources and serve the public good.

As announced last November, a number of student-serving offices/departments are relocating in order to improve the utilization of campus spaces and enhance the student experience, including the desire to centralize the physical location of the School of Humanities and Sciences. Some of those moves have already begun, and we want to thank the many staff and faculty members who have been so accommodating of these changes intended to benefit our students.

With much of the campus built in the 1960s and ’70s, some building and mechanical components have reached the end of their lifespan and require either replacement or repair. Deferred maintenance projects that have been approved will include some building roof replacements and mechanical systems upgrades.

In information technology, continued investments are being made to the college’s core network infrastructure to enhance security and performance, and to set the groundwork for rolling out the next generation of wireless networking services in the residence halls to provide faster and more reliable ResNet WIFI service for our students.

The Dillingham Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in 1969, had an extensive interior renovation in 2009. This year it will get a much-needed exterior facelift. The concrete facade will be power washed, crumbling and spalling concrete repaired, and a coating applied — similar to the restorative re-surfacing that was applied to the Towers residence halls, Job Hall and other buildings in recent years.

Finally, to help improve and expand the uses of the premier stadium facility on campus beyond intercollegiate athletics, the college will be replacing the natural-grass field with artificial turf and installing lighting at Butterfield Stadium. The field currently hosts only four to six home football games each fall and Commencement in the spring. With synthetic turf and lighting, the stadium will be available multiple times a day, seven days a week, in all seasons.

As the largest contained outdoor space on campus, we envision Butterfield Stadium hosting activities similar to those currently held inside the Athletics and Events Center for sports, music and other gatherings in addition to daily use. In alignment with the goals of Ithaca Forever, this will not only enhance the student experience, but also create revenue-generating opportunities, along with savings on maintenance costs and an increase in environmental sustainability.

You can read more details on this project here.

While the Board of Trustees won’t be voting on the college’s Fiscal Year 21–22 budget until its May meetings, these projects received funding approval now so that planning can be done for the work to begin immediately following Commencement. This will minimize any disruptions to the campus community and make full use of the summer construction season, allowing the work to be completed by the opening of the fall semester.

Sincerely,

Bill Guerrero
Vice President for Finance and Administration

Tim Carey
Associate Vice President for Facilities, Master Plan Goal Co-Chair

Marc Israel
Assistant Provost for Finance and Administrative Operations, Master Plan Goal Co-Chair