York, PA - In the next few years, York College aims to renovate residence halls and its student union as well as work toward revitalizing a city neighborhood where hundreds of students live.
Those goals are part of the college's 2012-2017 strategic plan and are mentioned by President George Waldner in his recently published book, "Building a Better College: York College of Pennsylvania Transforms Through Strategic Planning."
Waldner said in an interview that every five years, the college crafts a strategic plan, looking both internally and externally at its competitive environment to come up with goals and projects.
In his book, he noted that during the past 20 years, the college addressed needs for enhanced academic, residential, athletic and cultural facilities through about $250 million in capital projects.
"New capital project needs are always emerging in all aspects of the college's operations," he wrote. But the focus for 2012 to 2017 will be "renewal and revitalization of the institution's oldest, unrenovated buildings," namely the main campus residence halls, Country Club Manor apartments and the student union.
The college opened its newest residence hall, Northside Commons, in fall 2011. Waldner said that the college plans to first build a wing on to that, likely starting next fall.
That would give the college enough capacity to begin renovating the older dormitories that house freshmen and sophomores, he said. Those buildings date back to the 1960s, he said.
The idea is to renovate them to provide more square footage per student and more privacy, he said. Those buildings might not house as many students afterward, but there would still be additional capacity once all of the projects were finished.
The student union is from the 1970s, Waldner said, so plans are to update that building and incorporate more technology, though the design study is not yet far along.
The first priority is scoping out the dormitory situation and creating a multi-year plan that makes sense there, he said.
Kyle Joines, president of the York College Student Senate, said that one of the good things about the college is "it's always constantly growing."
Joines said the residence hall projects should help make the college more competitive, noting that many colleges nationwide have been redoing their residence halls to make them attractive.
Northside Commons "really embodies the ideal residence hall," he said.
And the student union, which houses the college admissions office, is one of the first buildings prospective students see.
"I truly believe that the student union should kind of represent the
beacon of campus life," Joines said. "It should embody the best of campus -- the best meeting spaces, lounges."
Improving nearby Jackson Street
The college is also looking at the nearby Jackson Street neighborhood, where Waldner said hundreds of students live.
The updated zoning law that the city adopted in 2011 include a "mixed use" zone adjacent to the college that will allow for the development of a "walkable urban neighborhood," Waldner said.
That means a neighborhood with a variety of amenities, like a coffee shop or a bookstore, available within walking distance for residents, he said.
Waldner said the college already works with people who want to start businesses, through its J.D. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship.
"We're happy to work with people who would like to go into the Jackson Street corridor," he said, noting that the college has been working with Susquehanna Real Estate on a strategy for helping to create that sort of development.
Kevin Schreiber, the city's economic and community development director, said the zoning law essentially created a new zoning district devoted to the college. The college was involved in the process and helped bring student housing landlords to the table, he said, establishing communication that seems to have been maintained.
There are a couple of commercial uses in the neighborhood, Schreiber said, and the college is evaluating where the commercial corridors and entry points might be. The city, the college and property owners will then work to beautify and make those areas safer.
Students are walking through the neighborhood now on their way to and from classes, he said. If over time there can be physical improvements such as lighting, traffic calming and bike lanes, it will become safer to do so.
With more people walking around, the hope is there will also be a rise in complementary commercial use, he said, which makes it a more attractive neighborhood.
It all leads to an enhanced tax base, he said.
Leaving it to a new leader
Waldner is retiring at the end of June, leaving much of the five-year plan for his successor.
He said that the plans really have a long lead time before they are put on paper. So as the 2012 to 2017 plan rolls out in the next couple of years, work on the 2018 to 2023 plan will begin.
The new president will be involved with the current plan as well as the next one.
"It's really continuing our progress," Waldner said of the plans.
Residence hall plans
York College is working on a multi-year plan to renovate residence halls.
President George Waldner said that adding a wing to the new Northside Commons building is likely the first step, to create additional space in order to close another dormitory down during renovations.
The other residence halls being eyed for renovations are: Beard Hall, Penn Hall, Manor North, South, East and West, and the Country Club Manor complex, according to Waldner's recently published book.
New majors
Included in York College's 2012-2017 plans is the possibility of several new majors.
The college started a hospitality major this fall, and others such as food science, horticulture and one or two engineering options are possible. The goal is to launch four new majors by August 2016, according to college President George Waldner's book.
"We've had consultants on campus for all majors we list in the plan," he said. The college is completing a plan of what the cost and facility needs would be to add the majors, he said.
About the book
George Waldner, who will soon retire as York College president, recently published a book, "Building a Better College: York College of Pennsylvania Transforms Through Strategic Planning."
To learn more about the book visit the Cram Session blog at www.yorkblog.com/cram and search for "Waldner."
College facts
Enrollment: 4,600 full-time undergraduate students, 300 graduate studentsMajors: 50-plus undergraduate academic majors
Campus size: 190 acres
Undergraduate tuition and fees, 2012-13: $16,520
Room and board: about $9,300
Source: www.ycp.edu
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