Middlebury College

Reports of the Subcommittee on Planning & Development

9 December 1996

Respectfully submitted by Jen Hazen, 6 November, 1996.

Proposal for the Middlebury College Administration

In the tradition of the New England town hall meeting, it is our proposition for the college administration to hold informal meetings with the entire community. These meetings would occur at the very beginning of the planned development before any significant investment or arrangements are given to the project. Any physical or functional development which would have significant impact on the community as a whole should be addressed by such a meeting.

The meetings would be publicized with advanced notice through the weekly calendar of college publications and, when applicable, local publications. The form of the meetings would be a presentation of the proposed development by the College Administration. Following this presentation, the floor would open to the entire community for questioning and input concerning the proposed development.

Our opinion is that this method could enormously improve the health of our college community, staff, faculty, students, administrators, and residents alike. It would allow for improved communication between all parties, portraying the various facts of the possible social, environmental, and economic impacts such developments could have on the community.

Assumptions Regarding New Construction and Renovation of Physical Plant Assets

Fundamental Assumptions

  1. Middlebury College's programs will include
    1. the residential liberal arts program
    2. the summer programs, schools abroad programs, and programs that focus on newly emerging instructional technologies

  2. The College's physical plant is an important component of the institution; we need to:
    1. maintain a safe work and learning environment
    2. preserve the value of existing physical plant resources
    3. have physical plant assets that support the educational goals of the institution
    4. provide academic and co-curricular facilities as a means to attract and enroll the best students
    5. redevelop our infrastructure to meet the institution's changing needs
    6. accommodate growth while maximizing the utilization of existing buildings

  3. New construction and renovation projects will:
    1. support general excellence in the liberal arts as well as academic and co- curricular institutional peaks
    2. be program driven
    3. be planned with careful attention to input from appropriate constituencies
    4. serve many generations of students

Assumptions Regarding New Construction and Renovation of Physical Plant Assets

Operational Assumptions

  1. Middlebury will continue its year round operations

  2. The on-campus, academic calendar, undergraduate student body will grow to 2350 by the year 2003-04

  3. There will be an expansion of summer programs (including and in addition to the language schools)

  4. Facilities campus-wide will play an increasingly important role in the success of the residential liberal arts program
    1. The College will need to provide facilities so that course size can reflect and ensure personal contact and significant faculty-student interaction with the average class size not changing appreciably, but with new modes of teaching requiring greater flexibility in the academic spaces
    2. The College will need to provide facilities so that student faculty interactions of all sorts are encouraged - Full-time faculty will continue to be provided with private offices; part time faculty will share offices; and the College will maintain a small number of offices for on-leave, retired and/or visiting faculty/scholars - Faculty offices will be clustered around common spaces in order to support student-faculty interaction
    3. The College will need to provide facilities so that faculty may continue to engage in scholarly and professional development activities that enrich the learning environment
    4. The College will need to provide facilities so that it can continue its expectation of students to engage in life-long physical activities and recreation

  5. The College will continue to provide a variety of housing and social options
    1. First-year students will be housed predominantly in doubles; all other students will live predominantly in singles, houses, suites, and apartment-style housing
    2. The Commons, both in its current form and in the continuing Commons model, will play an increasingly important role in the residential and social life of the College
    3. Residence halls will become a more important study space for students as a result of access to information provided by the campus-wide network
    4. The number of students requiring senior/transitional housing (married students or students with young children) will increase only slightly

  6. The College will continue to support the development of an intellectual community through facilities and programs that encourage student/faculty/staff interaction beyond the realm of the classroom

  7. The Bread Loaf campus will play a more significant role in the programs of the College through expanded use in short residential programs (winter term, field research, new residential programs) and as a resource for undergraduate teaching

Assumptions Regarding New Construction and Renovation of Physical Plant Assets

Financial Assumptions

  1. The College will expend up to $100 million on new construction projects and up to $50 million (in 1997 dollars) on renovations during the next decade

  2. The projects will be sequenced with greatest attention given to programmatic and financial constraints

  3. The College will continue to fund fully the depreciation of campus facilities

  4. The Investment Committee's returns on investments from the funds provided by depreciation will finance future renovation projects

  5. The College will issue bonds up to the tax-exempt limit established for educational institutions as a way to finance new capital projects

  6. Construction will be done in ways that may result in higher initial costs in order to reduce long-term operational expenses

  7. Of the $150,000,000 planned for renovation and new construction it is anticipated that $35,000,000 will come from gifts, $65,000,000 will come from bonding, and the balance from reserves

Assumptions Regarding New Construction and Renovation of Physical Plant Assets

Construction Assumptions

  1. The Wallace Floyd master plan will serve as a reference and guide for the planning of new projects

  2. The aesthetic character of the campus will be preserved and improved through careful planning and design of new construction and renovation

  3. Design and construction will consider both initial costs and operational expenses

  4. Interiors will be planned for flexibility, durability, and ease of maintenance

  5. Construction materials and techniques will be chosen to recognize the need for greater flexibility in the new and renovated spaces

  6. Construction and renovation will provide improved access to college facilities for members of the community with disabilities

  7. Construction and renovation will reflect the College's commitment to environmental awareness

11 November 1996

The Subcommittee reports that the survey was evaluated by Burke Rochford and altered only slightly to make it valid. It was approved for all-campus mailing by Don Wyatt and is being distributed. We will collect responses for two weeks from the actual mailing date.

Results will be compiled and analized and a report to the Council and the Administration will be developed interpreting these results.

The Subcommittee has also indicated a desire to make a recommendation to the Administration suggesting a format for campus-wide discussion of major College decisions. It was recommended that we wait to see how the "open meeting" on traffic and parking goes and formulate our recommendation from that experience. Jen Hazen also spoke with Leslie Prudhomme, of the Center for Environmental Studies at Williams College, who would be willing to give anecdotal comment on a similar process that has been used at Williams.

Respectfully submitted by Jen Hazen, 6 November, 1996.

ENVIRONMENT AND CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT SURVEY
Middlebury College Environmental Council
November, 1996

The Environmental Council has developed this confidential survey about planning and development issues at Middlebury. The goal is to gather quantifiable information on the opinions of the Middlebury College community in an effort to provide coherent advice to the Administration.

We ask that you take a few minutes to answer the following questions. We would appreciate hearing all of your opinions, so feel free to address issues we have not brought up in the comments section at the end of the survey.

Please return this survey immediately so that we can compile your responses.

Thank you,
The Environmental Council

같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같같

Please check one. Student _____ Staff _____ Faculty _____

Rate your level of agreement with the following statements. 1=strongly disagree 5=strongly agree

I. Environmental Role in Development Decisions disagree
...agree
I believe that possible impacts on the environment such as conservation of natural and historical resources, safety, vehicular and pedestrian circulation, and impact on surrounding areas should be comprehensively considered in the planning of development projects on campus. 1 2 3 4 5
I would like to see more integration of environmental technology and materials in new construction projects like Bicentennial Hall. 1 2 3 4 5
I think that environmentally friendly technology should be a priority in the construction of new buildings, provided that it meets the needs of the building and is in line with reasonable costs. 1 2 3 4 5
I think that the College should be willing to pay more for environmentally friendly technologies in its buildings. 1 2 3 4 5
II. Communication
I believe that the Administration should seek substantial input from the College community on major planning and development decisions. 1 2 3 4 5
I feel that I receive adequate information from the Administration regarding planning and development issues on campus. 1 2 3 4 5
I feel that the Administration should work closely with Middlebury town officials and planners in the planning process of major development decisions that impact the town. 1 2 3 4 5
III. Policy
I feel that the College should develop a policy regarding consideration of environmental impacts for development projects. 1 2 3 4 5
I feel that the College should develop a policy on environmental materials and technologies in development projects. 1 2 3 4 5
I feel that the College should develop a policy on a prescribed method of seeking input from and distributing information to the College community on major development decisions. 1 2 3 4 5
I believe that College policies on environmental protection and the use of environmental technology need to be very stringent. 1 2 3 4 5
IV. Environmental Issues
What do you feel are the most important environmental issues facing Middlebury College and what suggestions do you have for resolving them? (Please use back if necessary)


14 October 1996

The Subcommittee indicated that the survey should present questions that will provide useful, constructive advice to the Administration, but not necessarily avoid addressing issues that may be sensitive.

A second draft of the survey was presented to the Subcommittee at their second meeting on October 9, and approved with some revision. This survey will be presented to the full Environmental Council prior to its meeting of 14 October 1996 for approval at the meeting.

The Subcommittee also reports that a copy of the Town's Master Plan is available through Nic Tuff, a copy of the College's Master plan is available for viewing in the Town Hall, and a video copy of the College's presentation of the Master Plan is available for borrowing through Linda Pitkin. These are all useful as background information.

Respectfully submitted by Jen Hazen, 10 October, 1996.

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