Hill College Campus Plan
2016
HILL COLLEGE CAMPUS PLAN Hill College Board of Regents President Dr. Pamela Boehm Vice President of External Affairs Jessyca Brown The Campus Planning Team Texas Heritage Museum General acknowledgement of the participation of faculty, staff, students, etc.
Acknowlegment Institute of Urban Studies Executive Director: Nan Ellin, Dean – College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs Director: Shima Hamidi Assistant Director: Alan Klein Project Team: Shirin Ghorbani Golnaz Keshavarzihaghighi Kim Kikhyoung Ridvan Kirimli Somaye Moazzeni Reza Paziresh Amber Raley
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Table of
1 Why Update the Campus Plan? 2 Benefits 3 Study Partnership 4 Purpose of the Campus Plan 5 The Study Areas 6 Plan Components 7 Timeline 8 The Campus Plan Process 8.1 Baseline Analysis 8.1.1 Laying the Foundation 8.1.2 Public/Stakeholder Survey 8.1.3 Campus Observations and Facility Evaluations 8.1.4 Existing Conditions Mapping 8.2 Design Scenario Development 8.2.1 Public Design Charrette 8.2.2 Draft Initial Campus Design Scenarios 8.2.3 Public/Stakeholder Feedback/Input on Design Scenarios 8.2.4 Final Draft Composite Campus Plans 8.3 Final Campus Designs 8.3.1 Present Final Composite Campus Plans 8.3.2 Final Feedback 8.3.3 Final Campus Plan Report and Exhibits
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1 Why Update the Campus Plan? Hill College, a comprehensive community college, with main campuses located in the cities of Hillsboro and Cleburne in Hill County and Johnson County, Texas, needed to address the physical plans for these campuses in accordance with the vision of the master plan for the college. As Hill College grows to become a “college of choice” for more students, it must maintain and expand its ability to serve as a unique place of learning dedicated to providing students with the skills necessary to successfully participate in the 21st century global economy. The physical experiences of these campuses provide an environment conductive to higher learning, and promotes health and wellness for students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community.
2 Benefits The overarching aesthetic value and flow of the campus physical plan contributes to the positive image of Hill College and promotes its image to the students, faculty, staff and surrounding community visitors. The suggested campus improvements will serve as a source of pride and identity for the college. Campus improvements also enhance safety and overall campus accessibility.
3 Study Partnership Hill College engaged the Institute of Urban Studies (IUS) to develop a Master Plan that identifies the assets and challenges of the campuses while developing a new vision to ensure the betterment of the campus physical space. The study for this plan includes research of the college and includes: •An assessment of issues, opportunities, visions, goals, and objectives, as well as an analysis of future growth. •An inventory of the current physical space which seeks input from students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders about their experiences and expectations of the Campus Plan. It will maintain the standards set forth in the master plan for the college. This process seeks to deliver a final product that meets the needs of the college and stakeholders while helping to ensure that Hill College remains a “college of choice.”
4 Purpose of the Campus Plan The Hill College Campus Plan addresses the overall physical needs for the three campuses comprising Hill College (Hillsboro, Johnson County Main Campus, and the Cleburne Technical Center). This plan addresses current campus physical conditions, the needs and wishes of the campus communities and other stakeholders, and future suggestions for the next 15 years This Campus Plan is a tool to: •Assess the strengths and opportunities associated with Hill College’s current physical plan •Develop visions and objectives to enhance and improve the Campus Plan •Take inventory of the current Campus Plan •Conduct a needs assessment of the physical environment and infrastructure as well as quality of life through stakeholder and public input via online survey and campus design scenarios. •Develop broad concept plans for the campus physical environment and infrastructure •Produce Campus Plan exhibits demonstrating possible implementation of plan elements This document outlines the methods, results, and recommendations of the Campus Plan and is intended to serve as a guide for Hill College as it further develops and implements its Master Campus Plan. Through improvements to the physical space on the three campuses of Hill College the Campus Plan aims to contribute to the unique character of the College, provide a framework for consistent planning and improvement for the campuses, and determine the priorities based on the public and stakeholder meetings, surveys, and analyses.
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5 The Study Areas Hill College consists of three main campuses located in the cities of Hillsboro (main campus) and Cleburne (Johnson County Main Campus and Cleburne Technical Center) in Hill and Johnson Counties, Texas. These counties are situated south of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan adjacent to Tarrant County and north of Waco, Texas adjacent to McLennan County, Texas. Additionally the college leases space in the city of Burleson for a Higher Education Center (Hill College-Burleson) which was not included in this analysis. The main Hillsboro campus is on approximately 74 acres of land on a hill overlooking the Highway 35 bypass, between Highway 22 and Old Brandon Road.
6 Plan Components The Campus Plan for Hill College serves as a working document to provide guidance for planning for the physical spaces for three campuses of Hill College.
7 Timeline The time frame for the Hill College Campus Plan is 2016-2030. We recommend that the Campus Plan be updated every 5-10 years, but recognize that the plan may require minor adjustments in the interim due to faster-than-expected growth in the college or changes to the landscape of higher education. Maintaining a long-range vision with public and stakeholder input and adjustments will help ensure that the Campus Plan remains a viable component of the college’s overall future planning efforts.
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8 The Campus Plan Process The plan was prepared in three phases. At the end of Phase One the IUS and the college had assessed the college’s current conditions and future needs, formed a Campus Planning Team, and engaged the public and stakeholders to provide feedback to help in Phase Two. At the end of the second phase, the Campus concept plans were drafted incorporating feedback from the initial public design charrette and campus design scenarios. A survey of public and stakeholder responses was administered and analyzed, and public meetings occurred where individuals had an opportunity to voice their opinions. At the end of Phase Three, the Campus Plan was finalized and presented to Hill College, and the college could begin implementation of the recommendations. Full details of all plan input can be found in the Appendix.
8.1 Baseline Analysis The first phase of the plan consisted of an initial meeting with the campus planning team, stakeholder/public online survey, campus observations and facility evaluations, and mapping of existing conditions.
8.1.1 Laying the Foundataion The initial “kick-off ” meeting with the Campus Planning Team discussed the scope and expectations of the Campus Plan with the Campus Planning Team named by Hill College.
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8.1.2 Public / Stakeholder Survey
8.1.3 Campus Observations and Facilitiy Evaluations
The college and IUS developed and hosted a Campus Plan survey to inform the public of the process and collect feedback about current campus conditions. The survey was designed to capture how the campus community think about the current offerings, and what, if anything, they would like to see made available. This survey was hosted through an online survey service (Survey Monkey). To receive wide response, the online survey was advertised through emails sent to all faculty, staff, and students. The survey was open for approximately 30 days ending with a total of 294 respondents. The majority (70%) of respondents identified themselves as female with the remainder (30%) identifying as male. Most respondents selected that they were faculty or staff (61%) with the remainder (39%) identifying as students. More detailed survey responses can be found in the Appendix. Public input is critical to the formation of any public plan. The results of the Campus Planning Team meetings and online public survey formed the core of this plan’s vision. This public input also directly informed the demand-based needs or “what people want” for the Campus Plan.
The study team was able to gather and analyze data to determine the college’s demographics and make predictions about the future needs of the college. Campus representatives facilitated tours for the team to enable research the college’s current facilities and direct observation of existing campus conditions. Information gathered during public meetings and surveys as well as observations of the current use of campus physical spaces were considered. Researchers determined the type of facilities most needed and desired by the campus community. Further analysis determined the most critical current physical resources of the college.
8.1.4 Existing Conditions Mapping The IUS design team prepared computer-generated base maps to illustrate information about the current state of the Hill College campuses. The IUS team utilized stakeholder input and on-site observations to develop maps of current conditions. These maps identified a set of common issues across the campuses, and pinpointed specific locations most impacted by these issues. Identified issues included: •Poor vehicular circulation •Lack of green parking •Lack of safe pedestrian amenities and crosswalks •Lack of pedestrian security
•Inadequate pedestrian lighting
•Inadequate campus entry signage •Inadequate campus wayfinding and informational signage
•Lack of outdoor gathering and meeting space
•Inadequate accessibility/ADA facilities
•Opportunities for additional facilities
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8.2 Design Scenario Development During phase two, the IUS team continued to keep the Campus Planning Team involved through meetings and regular communications, held a public design charrette, drafted campus design scenarios including an online public/stakeholder feedback and developed final draft composite campus
8.2.1 Public Design Charrette The institute team facilitated a public charrette review on June 28th and 29th 2016 at the Hillsboro and Cleburne main campuses. During these meetings general and specific comments pertaining to the three campuses were shared along with the site analysis developed in the first phase. Over 50 Staff, faculty, and students participated. Participants were asked to validate campus conditions and issues maps. In addition, participants were asked to rate the suitability of multiple concept solutions for identified issues for each of the three campuses.
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8.2.2 Draft Initial Campus Design Scenarios Campus design scenarios were drafted based on public input, survey results, and stakeholder guidance from the charrettes.
8.2.3 Public / Stakeholder Feedback / Input on Design Scenarios Campus design scenarios were presented to the campus planning team for comment.
8.2.4 Final Draft Composite Campus Plans Based on input from the design scenarios a final draft composite campus plan was developed. This plan is visually presented from a bird’s eye perspective as well as a 3D representation.
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8.3 Final Campus Designs
8.3.3 Final Campus Plan Report and Exhibits
During phase three the IUS presented the final campus plans gathering a final round of feedback to prepare the final report and exhibits.
The final Campus Plan report and exhibits reflect a community-driven approach and sets in place the goals and priorities voiced in the public engagement process. The final Campus Plan presents a vision for the future campus development which provides environmental quality, improved safety and accessibility, and enhanced aesthetic environment, all designed to move towards the ultimate goal of promoting student success. With the economic realities of the past few years in consideration, it is all the more important that the Campus Plan focuses on improvement efforts efficiently. Hill College can become a college of choice for students to live, learn, and gather as well as for faculty and staff to teach and work. The Campus Plan supports the ability of Hill College to offer top-notch educational programs, attract high-achieving students, provide an environment conducive to higher learning, and sustain a strong faculty and staff workforce to preserve a solid infrastructure for future growth.
8.3.1 Present Final Composite Campus Plans The IUS presented the final campus plans and requested a final round of feedback from the campus planning team at a meeting on July 27th 2016.
8.3.2 Final Feedback Final feedback from stakeholders was recieved and incorporated into the final campus plan report and exhibits.
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Cleburne SWOT
Strength: Easy access and layout Appealing campus Available space around campus for expansion Easy campus circulation 15-20 years old, good physical condition Proximity to Cleburne technical center Public transportation accessible (shuttle, county rail, ‌) Recreation space for students/ disc golf course Strategic location Growing campus New lighting in site
Opportunities: Growth in Johnson county New toll road Adding new programs Growth opportunities Take advantage of street view Serving 28 school districts Owning a building in downtown Threats: Non students security threats New toll road Competition with other higher education Community awareness
Weakness: Lack of parking (specially location) Lack of cafeteria /no food court Lack of link to downtown Lack of offices and classes Out of dated building Lack of outside technology access/ internet/ charging station Lack of outside seating area/ furniture/ tree Lack of small meeting space Lack of safety Lack of call boxes Lack of usability( even google map) Lack of signage/ building map
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Hillsboro SWOT
Strength: Stable financial Museum Trees Generally appealing Room to expand Location to highway (accessibility) Rurally located (well-known) Student housing Athletics Cafeteria Library expansion Jogging path Available foundation
Opportunities: Foundations Room to expand Empty building Park Golf course Radio grand (potential for more recreation) Semi development(opportunity) Flood plain issues(in green spaces) Threats Signage Too far from growth (Dallas) Tension between campus Security Roads(west side) under the control of county not city Multiple jurisdiction College of ownership of electric opportunity
Weakness: Old Infrastructure Technology Not enough office space Gateway(central) Signage Traffic(highway) Speed limit(highway) Pedestrian safety Drainage issue in education building No under/over pass (out to campus circulation Campus circulation No light Empty buildings Parking
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