LONG-TERM CAMPUS VISION

The plan for the Lorman and Natchez campuses is crafted to support the University’s ambitious and bold vision for the future. The implementation of projects and strategies is organized into four phases: early wins, near-term priorities, the ten year plan, and the long-term campus vision. The first phase includes a series of tactical strategies and projects that can have immediate and positive impact on the campus experience without requiring significant funding. The next two phases identify projects that will support the plan drivers and advance the Strategic Plan over the next ten years. The last phase is the aspirational outlook for Alcorn beyond the first ten years, setting the groundwork for further campus investments in subsequent decades, with the flexibility to shift these investments into the ten year plan if needs and opportunities evolve.

The Lorman Campus is envisioned as a collection of neighborhoods, each with its unique character and needs, connected by shared mobility, landscape, and infrastructure systems. Key longterm strategies proposed for the Lorman Campus include:

• Improved financial resilience through efficient and future-ready infrastructure. This will entail the expansion or renewal of existing systems, including electrical, water (domestic, sewer, and stormwater), and HVAC, and the installation of new systems, such as solar panels and irrigation cisterns, when and where possible.

• Placemaking and fostering a sense of community, legacy, and belonging. These improvements will include new amenities and spaces for recreation, studying, dining, and socialization, such as enhanced food service options, informal collaboration spaces, recreation fields and facilities, and lawns, plazas, and pavilions for both the campus community and visitors.

• A focus on renovation over new construction for facilities. This strategy will elevate Alcorn’s legacy spaces to a level of quality and suitability aligned with the campus’s newest facilities, thus providing a consistent experience to all students, staff, and visitors.

• Addition of student housing, faculty and staff housing, and academic buildings for future enrollment and program needs, accompanied by a relocation of the existing Facilities Management Building to enable improved definition of the Core North neighborhood as a center of academic programming.

• Improved mobility for both vehicles and pedestrians. Streets and sidewalks will be safer and more intuitive to navigate, with improved and additional campus entrances, road realignments and traffic redistribution, overall improved wayfinding, and streetscape enhancements such as sidewalk widening, additional tree shade, and furnishings.

• Improved functionality of the parking system. This will entail the construction of some new parking, the consolidation of lots for more efficient land use, and the improvement of existing lots, including the provision of incentives to increase utilization of remote lots and a new zoning and permit system.

• Enhancement of the rural character of the campus, encouraging active use of the beautiful grounds. The landscape will be activated by improving existing vegetation, planting new shade trees, expanding the arboretum, and expanding the system of natural trails. In tandem, the visibility of Alcorn’s agricultural research and innovation initiatives will be improved through the new Welcome Center and enhanced walkability across campus.

The Natchez Campus will focus on similar goals: improving its grounds and open spaces, focusing on placemaking and new amenities to facilitate enrollment growth, fostering a sense of belonging, and providing services to the campus and regional communities. In addition, the campus will leverage its unique assets, such as the School of Nursing, family clinic, lecture hall, event spaces, library, and proximity to Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the City of Natchez, to expand and improve its dual educational and community service missions, strengthen its partnerships with other schools and institutions, and provide a home for new degree programs.

Facilitate streetscape and walkability improvements by building consolidated peripheral parking lots

Ten Year Plan

Over the next ten years, the University will focus on campus renewal, addressing deferred maintenance, improving overall operational efficiency, and enhancing campus facilities and open spaces with the greatest need and greatest potential to improve student success, enrollment growth, innovation, or community engagement.

The campus plan supports this strategy with an inventory of proposed capital investments, linked to initial prioritization and phasing recommendations to guide the timing of their implementation. For the ten-year plan, there are two main phases: near-term priorities, and the remainder of the ten year plan.

Key proposals for the near-term priorities include the revitalization of the Yard with new landscape and open space amenities, walkability and accessibility improvements in key locations, decreased parking congestion through optimized and incentivized parking lot utilization, rehabilitation of Lott Hall to facilitate subsequent residential renovations, and the targeted renovation of facilities such as the Whitney HPER Complex. Fundraising for these projects will be prioritized.

Once these improvements are underway, a second phase of projects will be implemented in support of Alcorn’s mission. Some of these projects, including residence hall renovations, new consolidated parking lots, and ASU Drive streetscape improvements, will be enabled by the near-term priority projects. Other key second phase projects include a new Welcome Center complex at the Carter Dairy, an innovative renovation of the Boyd Library, and a significant expansion of Alcorn’s active research efforts, through the provision of enhanced research facilities and renovated staff housing, which supports researcher recruitment and retention.

• Heritage Village, with the existing front drive and median flexibly converted into a pedestrianized “front lawn” for the neighborhood, as well as an improved parking lot and new shade trees

Enhance student life and facilitate enrollment growth with a second honors residence hall and quad, rec field, and re-opened cafe

Attract faculty and staff with renovated apartments

These phases are meant to be flexible. The University may shift projects between the near-term priorities, ten year plan, and long-term vision as needs and funding opportunities evolve. The campus plan’s financial model and recommended funding sources are described in Chapter 5.

Campus locations receiving priority focus in the ten year plan will include, among others:

• The Yard, with an enhanced landscape, new shade trees, a dining terrace, a central event pavilion, and Alcorn Avenue pedestrianization trials, as well as a renovation to the Library

• The Whitney HPER Complex, with a major renovation and expansion, along with increased utilization of surrounding parking lots

• The Gateway Village, with a renovation and addition to the historic Carter Dairy to accommodate a new Welcome Center and spaces for recruitment, admissions, and agriculture programs, as well as new monument signs and enhanced landscaping along the main campus entrance

• The Honors Residence Hall, with a new hall, quad, reactivated cafe, and consolidated parking

• Older residence halls, with renovations of all four to improve amenities and systems

At the Natchez Campus, priority will be given to the renovations and expanded family clinic in the Balmat School of Nursing, followed by space reallocation for new degree programs and community services in the former Graduate Business Building.

Facilitate innovative educational opportunities through the renovation of the Boyd Library

Bring life back to the Campus Core via a dining terrace, amphitheaters, a central pavilion, and new paths and furniture

Create an alternative to socializing in the parking lot by blocking off the front drive for pedestrian use, on most days, with shaded seating areas

Facilitate innovative educational opportunities through the renovation of the Math and Science Building

Reallocate space for new programs, renovate labs for the School of Nursing, and expand the Family Clinic

Renovate older residence halls to recover housing capacity and attract enrollment

Decongest parking by incentivizing use of remote lots through pricing and convenient new paths to key destinations

Reinforce Alcorn’s research efforts with facilities such as a new hydroponics greenhouse

Renovate and expand the Whitney into a multi-use complex for athletics, recreation, events, wellness, and academics

Empower and engage the campus community with volunteer tree planting days and informal pocket park installations, to serve as prototypes for more permanent investments

Engage visitors and serve the community at the Carter Dairy Welcome Center

Rework trees, landscaping, and signage at the main entrance to improve the arrival experience