Will the Rockhurst campus change as much in the next two decades as it has in the past two? We are getting ready to find out.

The University has begun the process of developing a 20-year master plan and has hired a firm, Einhorn, Yaffee and Prescott, to lead the process.

Washington D.C.-based EYP has extensive experience in higher education planning and will be joined by local firms BNIM architects and Taliaferro Brown consulting engineers. The firm is charged with working closely with the University to develop a strategy that outlines the best use of our physical campus. Particular attention will be paid to three priorities, which include reducing the University’s deferred maintenance, expanding student housing and renovating Sedgwick Hall. The planning process is expected to take about nine months.

The University’s current master plan was introduced in 1990 and included plans to renovate Conway Hall and to build the Town House Village.

The firm has begun meeting with faculty, administrators and students to collect data on facilities and classroom use. Meetings are scheduled for summer and early fall to gather input from neighbors and community groups. Administrators expect the proposal will be ready to present to the board at its December meeting.