In the media: "CSU trustees approve overhaul of Sacramento State campus," The Sacramento Bee
Sacramento State’s Campus Master Plan 2015 – the blueprint for the next 20 years – was approved Wednesday, May 20, by the California State University Board of Trustees.
In addition, the trustees conferred the title of President Emeritus on Alexander Gonzalez, who is retiring after 12 years as Sacramento State’s leader and 36 years as a CSU administrator. Robert S. Nelsen will become Sacramento State’s eighth permanent president Wednesday, July 1.
“The Master Plan is intended to enrich and maintain the campus as an accessible, sustainable, safe and vibrant environment for learning, living, work and recreation to better serve our students, faculty, staff and visitors,” said Gonzalez.
The Master Plan is a comprehensive vision for academic and administrative development with more than 1.3 million square feet of new construction, including state-of-the-art science and engineering buildings, a performing arts center, a student events center and an administrative/student services center. Also included are major expansions to the University Union, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this fall, and The WELL, the popular recreation and wellness center that opened in 2010.
Its overarching principles include improving intra-campus connectivity and connectivity with the surrounding community; optimizing facilities to help implement the University’s academic Strategic Plan; using architectural and landscape designs that incorporate best practices in sustainability and water conservation; and showcasing and maximizing engagement with the American River.
Trustee Margaret Fortune, who is from Sacramento, said of the Master Plan, “I want to say this is an exciting plan for the campus and the region, and I am looking forward to the fruition.”
The price tag for the entire project would be about $3.7 billion in today's dollars. Earlier this spring, the Board of Trustees approved the first project in the Campus Master Plan: a $54.9 million residence hall to be built alongside the American River. The groundbreaking will take place this summer, and the first group of 416 students will move in for the Fall 2017 semester. (Read our story about the new residence hall.)
This summer, the University will install a network of low-impact development (LID) best-management practices (BMPs) to reduce the impact of stormwater runoff on the nearby American River. Among the BMPs are bioretention planters, rain gardens and compost-amended bioswales that will collect, treat and infiltrate urban stormwater runoff. In addition to removing pollutants, the BMPs will reduce the volume of runoff discharged into the river, thus preventing erosion and replenishing the campus groundwater supplies used for irrigation.
The $2.8 million sustainability project is funded through a grant from the State Water Resources Control Board and will be carried out by Sacramento State’s Office of Water Programs. These BMPs will serve as examples for future stormwater management practices to be incorporated with the campus Master Plan.
“It’s a dream situation,” said Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee, Sacramento State’s vice president for Administration and chief financial officer. “The campus and community will benefit from this sustainability effort, and we will make discoveries that can one day be applied throughout the state and the country.” – Dixie Reid