2008 Woodie Awards
New structures, same feel
With new construction in progress and more on the horizon, what will Macalester's campus look like when you return for alumni reunion?
By: Matt Day, Associate News Editor
Issue date: 11/22/07 Section: Magazine Fall 2007
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When the finishing touches are put on the renovation of the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center in the early 2010s, Macalester will have put the cap on an unprecedented 20 years of campus renewal.
The current site of Winton Health Services will be occupied by a newly constructed Institute for Global Citizenship building. The Macalester Athletic and Recreation Center will be a fixture in the heart of an academic quad filled with state-of-the-art science and arts facilities.
But questions about the future of campus remain. Administrators are already considering construction projects to be completed during and on the heels of the overhaul of Janet Wallace.
Macalester's Vice President of Administration and Finance David Wheaton said the college is by and large sticking to a Master Plan Report released in 2005.
Large building projects aside, the plan outlines a series of aesthetic improvements to the college, including a "campus gateway" that would create a focal point for the college at an entry and drop off circle located at the end of Macalester Street near the fine arts building.
Other ideas in the master plan are a new residence hall at the current location of the Patagonia parking lot and a parking structure at the site of the current fine arts parking lot.
Despite these ambitious projects, High Winds Funds director Tom Welna said the borders of the college aren't about to start expanding.
"Mac isn't really in need of physical expansion," Welna said. "Our enrollment has fluctuated between 1,600 and 1,800 students for 35 years. It doesn't really change. There's no pressure."
The High Winds Fund, an independent fund affiliated with the college, maintains a number of residential and investment properties around the college with the goal of keeping the neighborhood attractive and safe.
Wheaton stressed that the Master Plan is by no means set in stone.
"We're still using it," Wheaton said. "We use it to guide what we're thinking about. But no master plan gets done the way it was intended. They help contextualize the decisions you make over a long period."
The current site of Winton Health Services will be occupied by a newly constructed Institute for Global Citizenship building. The Macalester Athletic and Recreation Center will be a fixture in the heart of an academic quad filled with state-of-the-art science and arts facilities.
But questions about the future of campus remain. Administrators are already considering construction projects to be completed during and on the heels of the overhaul of Janet Wallace.
Macalester's Vice President of Administration and Finance David Wheaton said the college is by and large sticking to a Master Plan Report released in 2005.
Large building projects aside, the plan outlines a series of aesthetic improvements to the college, including a "campus gateway" that would create a focal point for the college at an entry and drop off circle located at the end of Macalester Street near the fine arts building.
Other ideas in the master plan are a new residence hall at the current location of the Patagonia parking lot and a parking structure at the site of the current fine arts parking lot.
Despite these ambitious projects, High Winds Funds director Tom Welna said the borders of the college aren't about to start expanding.
"Mac isn't really in need of physical expansion," Welna said. "Our enrollment has fluctuated between 1,600 and 1,800 students for 35 years. It doesn't really change. There's no pressure."
The High Winds Fund, an independent fund affiliated with the college, maintains a number of residential and investment properties around the college with the goal of keeping the neighborhood attractive and safe.
Wheaton stressed that the Master Plan is by no means set in stone.
"We're still using it," Wheaton said. "We use it to guide what we're thinking about. But no master plan gets done the way it was intended. They help contextualize the decisions you make over a long period."
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