Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is in the midst of a strategic planning extravaganza. On the heels of a new strategic plan adoption for the whole college – and in the midst of a similar strategic planning process for the NMC Foundation – NMC is now also preparing to launch the first rewrite of its campus master plan in a decade. Once written, the document will serve as a 20-year roadmap for the utilization of campus buildings and property assets, from existing buildings to vacant properties to parking lots.

According to Troy Kierczynski, who serves as vice president of finance and administration for NMC, much has changed for the college since the current campus master plan was adopted in 2012. Between declining enrollment, a growing demand for on-campus housing, and the rise of virtual learning (among other aftershocks of the pandemic) Kierczynski says the college’s “physical environment” needs an overhaul to meet evolving needs of “students, faculty, staff, and the community.”

To start, NMC has built a “Campus Master Planning Framework,” which outlines eight key objectives for a forthcoming campus master plan rewrite.

“One of the key pieces we’re looking at is optimizing campus space utilization,” Kierczynski says. “We know that, since COVID – and even before COVID – we've had declining enrollment and shifts in how we are delivering classes. We know that our facilities utilization has changed – and I would say has probably been reduced. So now, we are looking for a way to utilize our buildings more effectively, maximizing classroom space, offices, and, and even our outdoor spaces, and seeing how we can be more efficient and really optimize our usage of buildings.”

Another master plan objective that Kierczynski sees as a major priority is “Leveraging facilities and real estate to generate new revenue streams for the college.” In August, The Ticker broke the news that NMC officials were “exploring potential uses for a vacant 55-acre lot owned by the college on Eastern Avenue,” with the top prospect being the construction of a brand-new senior living and learning center. At the time, NMC President Nick Nissley said that such a use would accomplish two major NMC aims: Support the college’s goal of providing more “lifelong learning opportunities” and fulfill a need for NMC “to be more innovative in terms of revenue streams” amidst shrinking tuition revenues and state appropriations.

Speaking on the matter now, Nissley assures The Ticker that the concept of a senior-focused NMC asset – potentially even at the aforementioned Eastern Avenue property – is still very much a point of interest for NMC. However, where the college had initially intended to break ground on that project as soon as next spring, the matter is now on hold at least until after the master planning process concludes.

“I still consider the senior living and learning facility as an expected future opportunity,” Nissley says. “But there are other things that could occur on that Eastern Avenue property too, so we want to make sure that we've got a good campus-wide understanding of all our assets. One goal of this master planning process is: ‘Let’s understand that Eastern Avenue property in the context of our entire campus.’”

The matter of student housing is also listed among the objectives for NMC’s campus master planning process. “We want to analyze our student housing on campus, with the knowledge that housing is an issue in the community and that our housing is, for the most part, maximized,” Kierczynski explains. “We think that if we can find ways to expand our housing – and maybe improve the housing that we have – that will continue to attract students.” The master planning framework calls for assessing NMC’s current housing capacity, as well as “historical occupancy” and “anticipated future demand.” The plan will also outline “potential new locations” on campus where additional residence halls might be built in the future, and provide recommendations “on renovation or reconstruction of our current housing assets.”

Other objectives outlined in the master planning framework include:

· Building a long-term plan for renovations and new construction, with an emphasis on developing spaces that are optimal for “flexible learning and work.” Here, Kierczynski notes that many NMC employees are no longer using their offices on a daily basis, due to the widespread adoption of remote work that occurred during the pandemic. “Does every adjunct on campus need an office?” he wonders. “Or can we share workspaces? If you were to walk around campus, you'd see that we have a lot of empty offices. So, we’re asking, ‘How can we use those spaces better now that we have less usage?”

· Taking an inventory “of the characteristics and condition” of all NMC property, “including facilities, utilities, infrastructure, and other real estate.” The planning team will then use this inventory to develop “comprehensive solutions to address any deficiencies.”

· Developing a strategy “for land utilization, acquisition, and/or disposal.”

· Creating a campus-wide “transportation and parking plan,” including an analysis of parking capacity versus need, a summary of “opportunities for new or enhanced walking paths,” and brainstorming of ideas “to improve transportation to, from, or among” NMC’s various campuses. Where parking was identified in the 2012 plan as an area where NMC needed to expand capacity, Kierczynski says trends in enrollment and virtual learning or work have rendered parking a “non-issue” on campus.

· Producing a new “framework for sustainability across campus facilities.” That framework will touch upon “energy, water, waste, carbon, transportation, materials, landscape, land use, site development, and building design standards,” and will include various recommendations for optimizing campus services and reducing energy consumption.

The new campus plan will also look at the college’s outdoor spaces. A recent college survey indicated that NMC students are interested in having more space for outdoor learning, gathering, and recreation. One potential idea on that front, Kierczynski says, would be to build some sort of outdoor “pavilion,” which could then be used as an outdoor classroom, a performance space for NMC music programs, or space for gatherings and events.

Kierczynski and other planning leaders intend to present the campus master planning framework to the NMC Board of Trustees at their November meeting. Assuming the board approves the framework, the next step would be to put out a request-for-proposal (RFP) “to engage a consultant to help us through the process.” The actual master planning process will kick off in the New Year, with NMC expecting a year-long runway to prepare a complete plan.

“So, hopefully, by the beginning of 2024, we’ll be at a place where we have a new campus master plan in hand,” Nissley says. “But of course, the plan is just the beginning. What we ultimately want is a roadmap that will help us make decisions about the future of the institution – particularly, in this case, facilities and assets. And those decisions will be where the real work begins.”