Master Plan open forums set to guide future of KU

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will kick off the yearlong process of developing a new Master Plan for the Lawrence and Edwards campuses with two open forums. The KU and Lawrence communities are invited to attend to learn more about specific areas of focus and provide feedback.

“This is a special opportunity, a time to set forth an ideal for a modern research institution that can advance our vision of educating future leaders, building healthy communities and making discoveries that will change the world,” Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little said. “Our master plan must align with our values, our principles and our goals for the future. This will only be successful with as much input and interaction as possible.”

A pair of open forums is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 20. At each open forum, experts will set up displays around individual topics, where there will be opportunities for conversation and short activities.

Campus Open Forum: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Kansas Union, fourth-floor lobby. Topics: West Campus, recreation/athletics, learning modalities, sustainability, student achievement, transportation.

Community Open Forum: 5 p.m.-7 p.m., Lawrence Visitor Information Center, 402 N. Second St. Topics: West Campus, recreation/athletics, sustainability, cultural resources and outreach, transportation.

“We want this to be a hand-on experience so we can get personal reflections on campus and give people the opportunity to envision KU in the future,” said Tracy Horstman, assistant vice provost for Capital Planning & Space Management. “Rather than a large presentation, these open forums will be a series of small, direct encounters. The goal is to have a conversation about our master plan.”

Since the master plan of George Kessler and Henry Wright in 1904, the university has undertaken a comprehensive planning process only four times, most recently when the current plan was completed in 1997. KU has contracted with Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company to provide a broad range of services in developing an updated plan.