As mentioned in my most-recent campus update (Feb. 25), I requested a spot on the agenda of the UC Board of Regents meeting yesterday to make the regents aware of the urgent space needs of our growing campus and outline a path forward based on the recommendations of the Urban Land Institute.
Our goal, as noted in the ULI final report, is to add sufficient space, either on or off campus, to accommodate as many as 10,000 students within the next eight to 10 years. Consistent with the campus’s long-range development plan (the 2009 LRDP), we refer to this next phase of our development as “the 2020 Project.”
While my presentation was strictly informational, I indicated that my hope to return in May with a proposal to amend our LRDP as it pertains to the 2020 Project. This proposed amendment will be presented to the Campus Physical Planning Committee within the next month, and if approved by the regents, will enable additional development of our Phase 1 building site, expediting our growth and avoiding significant infrastructure costs built into our original plans – costs the state is not prepared to absorb at present after years of economic struggle.
I also advised the regents of our plans to increase off-campus capacity and begin to consolidate administrative support and outreach functions in downtown Merced or other nearby locations as they are identified and acquired.
The proposed amendment to the LRDP, developed in close consultation with the UC Office of the President and strongly supported by President Mark Yudof, will allow us to implement the 2020 Project as an integrated, master-planned development. This means the campus could develop mixed-use facilities, rather than single-purpose buildings, and deliver them in clusters, rather than individually. This could result in significant cost savings to the university and campus.
I will keep you posted as we move forward with this process and make additional decisions based on the ULI recommendations. Questions or comments about the 2020 Project may be directed to chancellor@ucmerced.edu. In addition, I plan to hold a town-hall meeting in the coming months and will provide whatever new information I have at that time.
Lastly, the Los Angeles Times and Merced Sun-Star reported on yesterday’s presentation to the regents.
As always, I thank you for your patience as we work to add capacity as rapidly and cost-effectively as possible.
Sincerely,
Dorothy Leland
Chancellor
