Campus Master Plan: Relocation of College of Science and Mathematics a key component

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Campus Master Plan’s proposed relocation of Augusta University’s College of Science and Mathematics from the Summerville Campus to the Health Sciences Campus is a critical component of the growth plan for that college and for the university as a whole.

Each of Augusta University’s nine colleges anticipate growth with student enrollment projected to increase by 20 percent over the next decade, and with associated faculty and staff growth. The Summerville Campus alone is home to four of the nine colleges, but there is limited physical capacity to accommodate projected growth due to the historic and archeological significance of the campus.

Moving the College of Science and Mathematics to the Health Sciences Campus will allow it to grow on a campus rich in learning environments geared toward its students’ career goals, said Executive Vice President and Provost Gretchen Caughman.

“The move will make a tremendous impact on the quality of education we can provide to our undergraduate students,” said Dean of College of Science and Mathematics Rickey Hicks. “It’s also a bridge between the liberal arts education and professional degrees at the Summerville Campus and the health sciences and medical education at the Health Sciences Campus.”

The College of Science and Mathematics occupies space on the Summerville Campus, primarily in Allgood and Science Halls. By moving the college, enough space would be vacated to accommodate space needs for Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Hull College of Business and the College of Education.

“The move will also necessitate the build out and retrofitting of the existing facilities on the Summerville Campus,” Caughman said. “So, all of the buildings would be programmed for varying degrees of technology infusion, classroom upgrades and the kinds of things specifically designed to meet the future needs of the remaining colleges.”

The proposed location of the College of Science and Mathematics on the Health Sciences Campus is adjacent to student housing and existing academic/research facilities. The new building would define the boundary, along with the J. Harold Harrison, M.D. Education Commons and the Dental College of Georgia, of a new academic district on the south side of the campus. The district, mirrored by a second academic district on the north side of campus, would be centered on an open space with grassy areas and tree-lined sidewalks.

“This plan understands that for any of these things to come to fruition, we must have a parking solution,” Caughman said. “It will necessitate thinking about the land and square footage a bit differently, and that will enhance the quality of everyone’s experience, every day.”

The Campus Master Plan details a roadmap for transformational change over the next decade that will strengthen Augusta University’s position as a destination of choice for education, health care, discovery, creativity and innovation. The plan encompasses the Summerville, Health Sciences and Forest Hills campuses and identifies challenges and opportunities in existing physical settings that support the academic, research, clinical and student life domains.

The Campus Master Plan, while comprehensive in nature, is a fluid document intended to maintain flexibility in keeping with an ever-changing university.

More detailed information will be released in the coming weeks on other facets of the Campus Master Plan.

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