In terms of expansion planning, University of St. Francis had done everything right. The Catholic institution in Joliet, Ill., got input from city officials and residents. School officials even had the Cathedral Area Preservation Association's (CAPA) support, which was key with the campus falling within that city section.
Gerard Kickul, assistant vice president of Academic and Information Support Services at USF, recalls a resident asking in a public meeting why the university can't just move out and leave the neighborhood alone. Despite plans calling for the demolition of houses, it was a CAPA member who stood to defend USF, explaining what would happen economically if this neighborhood cornerstone were to disappear.
The process of
stretching out
a campus can
go smoothly
when community
concerns are
taken to heart.
Yes, things were looking good. But when plans depend on residents selling their own homes to the school, there's bound to be some nail biting involved. Soon after the local paper ran a story about USF's needs, however, inquiries poured in. "It took us completely by surprise," Kickul says. To date, the university has purchased 28 homes.
Many houses of interest in the old Rust Belt city were starter homes. Moving was "a natural progression" for these families, says Tom Mulvey, owner of Dow Realty, which is representing USF in the transactions. Some found other homes in the neighborhood, some left.
One key to the approach was that residents weren't pressured to do anything, Mulvey explains. Yet, a desire to grow was putting pressure on USF, which wants to more than double its number of resident beds to reach 750 in the next 15 years. It's a situation nearly every growing institution of higher ed finds itself in: Where to grow?
After all, even in rural areas, no campus is an island.
More administrators take that point into account these days, but only about half may be putting it into action. According to "Campus Space Crunch," a report released by Hillier Architecture, 56 percent of 200 IHEs surveyed said their school involved the community in planning discussions, such as through open meetings.
While more voices certainly complicate the planning chorus, institutions seeking those voices have been rewarded. Here's how five institutions have made it happen.
Earn Helping Hands for School Plans
When Michael Vinciguerra was named president of University of St. Francis in 2002, he let the community know of the school's desire to truly be part of its neighborhood. "That outstretched arm was very welcome to us," says Kurt Schackmuth, president of CAPA.
A collaboration on USF's master plan for growth was born, with assistance from consultants at Wisconsin-based Performa. City, resident, and university perspectives came together, explains Don Fisher, the city's director of planning and a member of the campus planning committee. Joliet leaders are now adopting complementary policies.
The promise of staying in the neighborhood, rather than moving to a USF-owned site outside the city, was a good-faith gesture. And adding small, landscaped parking areas and the construction of student housing around its current campus will help preserve the feel of the neighborhood. That argument helped earn CAPA's support. It didn't hurt that Schackmuth, who works in the provost's office at nearby Lewis University, understands campus parking dilemmas.
Little things, like students parking in front of neighborhood houses, create a bad image of the school.
When schools work on solutions, neighbors are more inclined to be amenable to property acquisition.
-Terry Sawyer, Loyola College in Maryland
To help obtain the needed land, USF sent a letter to neighbors, noting that those "interested in being part of the exciting expansion efforts underway" could contact Mulvey's firm.
The school maintained a seller-friendly acquisition approach. Homeowners could hire an appraiser at the university's expense if they needed help determining an asking price, Mulvey says, adding that "the instances where somebody wanted to hit the jackpot because of what the university was doing were few and far between."
With USF paying cash, "sellers never had to worry if the deal was going to die," Mulvey notes. And closings have been at the seller's convenience. CAPA requests have also been granted. Members were troubled by homes facing the wrecking ball. "Parts of the neighborhood will no longer exist in 20 years," Schackmuth says. So when CAPA asked about salvaging materials from homes before demolition, the university opened doors--at least one of which was rescued, along with door hardware, molding, and other pieces common in vintage houses.
