The University of Massachusetts Boston has a growing, diverse student body and staff, whom all have many different opinions, especially when it comes to our school. It is clear that people have a lot to say about the direction UMass Boston is taking.
I can definitely say that I have some opinions of my own. Every time I walk into Wheatley Hall I question why the school has not started to work towards improving the internal appearance of the academic buildings. I believe that there should be some changes or attempts to get these buildings out of the old time era that they seem to be stuck in and bring them into our modern day.
However, how many people actually know what is in the plans for this campus? I had asked myself this question last week, which made me want to look into the plans of improvement for UMass Boston.
I was able to briefly meet with DeWayne Lehman, the Director of Communications for UMass Boston. He spoke on how the 25-year master plan had been set forth, which is a plan to make UMass Boston “a model student-centered, urban public research university of the 21st century,” (1). He went on to say “that [the 25-year plan] is kind of what led to the construction of the new Integrated Sciences Complex, University Hall, [and] all the road work that has been done.” He continued on to explain how the first phase on this plan “is coming to fruition and being completed,” while the chancellor is working on plans for not only the physical appearance of the campus, but also the realm of academics, for example, working on a space for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and then later any other programs that call for it.
Mr. Lehman was able to suggest to me a town hall forum with the chancellor and the head of finance and master planning where they would be outlining the plans for UMass Boston in more detail. When attending the forum, it was very apparent that there were people that were not happy about some things. In particular, there were protesters that sat in the back, protesting the parking garage–fee increase. Besides this significant group, the rest of the room was filled with professors and other professionals.
Throughout the forum, some information that stuck out to me was how, “the last time the university had a positive operating margin was 2004.” It was also noted how “the fiscal year 2019 started June 1 with a 469 million dollar budget.” Furthermore, one particular plan in the works is the demolition of the old Science Center. The school plans to have the Science Center fully vacated by some time in the summer of 2019, including the many different departments that exist in this building. This demolition project also extends into UMass Boston’s goal of creating a permanent home for nursing and also improving the corridors and catwalks that we use today.
Besides these, there are many things that are included in this 25-year master plan and if you would like to learn more, most of this information can be found on UMass Boston’s website. The 25-year master plan is updated fairly well, including reports and presentations that outline plans and how they are going to execute these plans, as well as address any altercations or problems along the way.
It is important, and I really encourage you to keep yourself educated on what is happening to our campus—especially, since in the end, it affects you.
(1) https://www.umb.edu/the_university/masterplan