Sense of Place The University of Memphis’ strategic plan includes offering a safe, inviting and sustainable campus setting. When the University of Memphis opened the new University Center (UC) in March of 2010, administrators had high hopes the facility would serve as a magnet for student life. The old, outdated UC had run its course — students had tossed the building aside much like a worn-out shoe. Two years after opening the doors of the new UC, U of M officials couldn’t be more thrilled with one of the newest additions to campus. On a daily basis, thousands of students visit the many social areas, conference rooms, offices, computer labs and dining areas of the sleek, three-story facility. The building is again the hub of student life. It didn’t happen by accident. The University has developed a master plan that is both visionary and practical, according to Tony Poteet, assistant vice president of Campus Planning and Design. “Some of the overall goals in our day-to-day operations are to develop a safe and secure campus with a great sense of community, easy access and pedestrian-oriented,” says Poteet. “The University’s long-range plan includes improving classroom environments, adding additional living areas and expanding research space for faculty.” Specifically, the U of M’s “sense of place” segment of the strategic plan is to provide a safe and secure campus environment; create facilities that enhance recruitment and retention; improve campus signage; collaborate with neighbors and businesses to advance sense of place; implement the University’s sustainability plan; and adopt innovative ways of realizing the campus master plan. “To be competitive with other universities, we have to stay on the very edge of the latest in teaching and research facilities,” says U of M President Shirley Raines. “We take the success and well-being of our students very seriously — we continually look for ways to improve the quality of their education and their on-campus experiences.” The University is currently engaged with design teams to pre-plan the U of M’s next three major facility additions. The Community Health Building, to be located on the Park Avenue Campus, will provide new W W W. M E M P H I S . E D U
accommodations for an expanded Loewenberg School of Nursing program and the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders. The Biochemistry and Biology Facility for expanded research in those fields is being planned as is a new music facility that will be one of the finest on-campus music centers in the country and house the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. The University’s strategic plan also includes developing a sense of place that extends beyond its campus borders. The U of M has partnered with the University Neighborhoods Development
Corporation for a revitalized pedestrian-friendly Walker Avenue next to campus. “University-community partnerships have the potential to drive economic development, enhance quality of life and create the significant places that we believe will transform Tennessee,” Raines says. The University’s strategic plan also seeks to continue the U of M’s status as the safest campus in the state of Tennessee. U of M Police Director Bruce Harber says his department continually looks for new ways to improve safety. “We continue to add technology. For example, we have more than 500 Web-based cameras on campus,” says Harber.
A tinge of green in a sea of blue The University as an icon for world-wide sustainability initiatives among universities? Not too far from becoming reality, according to U of M sustainability coordinator Amelia Mayahi. Mayahi and visiting professor of architecture Jennifer Thompson were chosen to give just one of eight keynote presentations at the prestigious World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities, an event parallel to the United Nations conference for Sustainable Development held last summer in Brazil. About 60 universities from dozens of countries such as China, the Netherlands, Finland and India were present. “What better way to be a leader in sustainability than being an international icon for sustainable development at universities,” Mayahi said. Six years ago, University of Memphis President Shirley Raines signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, signaling the U of M’s pledge to a more sustainable campus. Since then, the U of M has hit the accelerator In sustainability initiatives. “To address environmental challenges, we are becoming a leader in sustainable technologies and practices, acting as a model for the community,” says Dr. Raines. The past five years have seen meaningful and large leaps for the U of M in
sustainability initiatives. • The University of Memphis and Apple Inc. have co-hosted the largest e-recycling event in the Mid-South three times in the past five years. • The student-initiated Green Activities Fee has been implemented, producing about $400,000 that is used for educational purposes. • Recycling efforts have increased 300 percent. The University just added the Recycling Zone Prototype near Mynders Hall, which is serving as a demonstration site for sustainable practices and is available to students, faculty and others to deposit a wide range of recyclable materials. • Architecture students developed and designed the TERRA House, a “futuristic” sustainable demonstration house in Memphis’ Uptown neighborhood that has become a model for the nation. • The University’s expansive TIGUrS garden, adjacent to the Elma Roane Fieldhouse, serves as an educational tool for University and Campus School students as well as the general public. • The U of M also boasts a new student residence complex that opened two years ago that was the first and most sustainable public building in Tennessee, meeting LEED Silver standards in sustainability and green design. The University has dozens of other “green” projects: visit www.memphis.edu/ bluegoesgreen for more information. P R ESI DENT’S R EPORT 2012
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