Capital Development & Strategic Vision Plan
The Capital Development and Strategic Vision Plan is the result of eighteen months of community outreach, engagement, and analysis. It documents current conditions, provides a campus vision for the next 10-15 years, and will guide ongoing decision making around capital planning and development, campus open space, and infrastructure in a manner that aligns with and supports Western’s mission, values, vision, and goals. Much of the development during this timeframe will focus on infill, renovation, and modernization of existing buildings with the overarching goals of strengthening the sense of belonging and recruitment and retention of students.
The work to build WWU’s Capital Development and Strategic Vision Plan began in the fall of 2023, and the final report, linked above, was reviewed and approved by the President, the Cabinet, and the Board of Trustees in December of 2024. The plan was developed as a flexible living document that will provide guidance through evolving conditions and priorities over time. In addition to serving as a guide, the plan will offer transparent communication to campus constituents. Planning for auxiliary areas of campus, such as housing, dining, the Viking Union, the Child Development Center, and campus recreation, is continuing during 2025. The history of development on the Bellingham campus is available on the WWU Spatial History webpage.
Campus Outreach
Extensive engagement with the campus community began in September of 2023. The heart of the planning effort lay in broad and varied stakeholder engagement, to supplement and expand on the background research and analysis into how Western uses its facilities. The goal was to engender broad participation and transparency to ensure that everyone at the university interested in participating in the planning had the opportunity. Campus engagement included the following groups.
- President's Cabinet
- Capital Planning & Space Advisory Committee
- Foundation Leadership
- President's Sustainability Council
- Assistant Director for Asset Management
- Business & Financial Affairs Leadership
- University Budget Committee
- Council of Deans
- The Provost
- Department Chair Leadership
- College of Fine & Performing Arts
- College of Humanities & Social Sciences
- College of the Environment
- College of Business & Economics
- College of Science & Engineering
- Woodring College of Education
- Western Libraries
- Graduates & Research
- Faculty Senate Leadership
- Urban Planning & GIS Faculty Representatives
- The Urban Planning Club
- Enrollment & Student Services Leadership
- Enrollment Management
- University Housing, Dining, and Student Union
- ADEI Leadership
- ADEI Faculty/Staff Leadership (a wider group)
- ADEI Access & Barriers Representatives
- Okanagan Charter Representatives
- Safety, Resilience & Transportation Representatives
- Student Advocacy Groups
- Student Government Representatives
- Athletics & Recreation
- Event Planners & Scheduling
- Capital Requests
Goals and Methods
The Capital Development & Strategic Vision Plan identifies projects to develop over the next 10-15 years. Together with the long-term Strategic Vision for development, the Overall Campus Concept strengthens the physical campus framework with a strong central spine, enhanced east-west connections, improved campus gateways, a pedestrian core paired with peripheral micro-mobility, and connected open spaces that bring people together. Development should preserve and enhance the campus' unique character while strengthening the level of openness and welcoming the broader city. Throughout, campus development should strengthen to sense of community and increase campus vitality.
The current 10-year capital plan anticipates that much of the development will be focused on renovation and modernization, including planning for both in-person and hybrid work settings, future modalities of academic instruction, accessibility needs, future connectivity and instructional technology needs as well as sustainability goals.
The plan evaluated programmatic space and facility needs across campus, assessed the suitability of existing facilities, and established a project sequence for the next several biennia. It also strategized the creation of spaces that may accommodate, temporarily or permanently, programs which are currently housed in buildings marked for major renovation or modernization work. The needs assessment focused on:
- Vision, initiatives, and strategy
- Evolving academic programs
- Enrollment, capacity, and space utilization
- Existing campus conditions
- Strategic adjacencies
- Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI)
- Community health and well-being
- Student, faculty, and staff collaboration
- Goals related to sustainability, climate impact, and resilience
- Partnership and development opportunities beyond main campus, including at satellite locations
- Landscape and open space
- Parking and transportation
The team of NAC Architecture and Walker Macy landscape architects was chosen through a Request for Qualifications process as the external consultant to lead the effort, in coordination with Western’s project team, in stakeholder engagement, needs analysis, and development of the final plan report. Extensive input from members of the campus community was gathered and thorough analysis of campus needs was done during the planning phase. The process was be guided by Western’s core values and strategic plan.
Previously Completed Studies and Plans
| Title | Year Completed |
|---|---|
| WWU Strategic Plan 2018-2025 | 2018 |
| Institutional Master Plan | 2001 |
| Campus Space Modeling Study | 2019 |
| Sustainability Action Plan | 2017 |
| Okanagan Charter | Joined 2021 |
| Heating Conversion Study | 2022 |
| Housing and Dining Assessment | 2019 |
| Utilities Master Plan | 2017 |
| WWU Neighborhood Plan | 2005 |
| Campus Character Study | 2000 |
Project Schedule
FAQs
The Capital Development and Strategic Vision Plan will shape Western Washington University’s campus vision for the next 10-15 years. It will drive decision-making regarding capital planning, development, campus open space, and infrastructure – in alignment with the university’s values, goals, and strategy. Given the conditions of our existing academic and administrative buildings on Western’s main campus, the current 10-year capital plan foresees that much of the development will be focused on renovation and modernization. The scope of the plan, as well as of any future projects and deliverables resulting from the plan, is limited to WWU’s current campus footprint, but it will consider opportunities for partnership and development beyond the main campus, including at satellite locations.
The work to build WWU’s Capital Development and Strategic Vision Plan began in the fall of 2023, and completion of the initial report is expected In December of 2024. The plan will be developed as a flexible living document as we expect that conditions and priorities will evolve over time.
Planning and development on Western’s campus are currently guided by the 2001 Institutional Master Plan (IMP), a zoning and regulatory document jointly created by the City of Bellingham and Western in accordance with the WWU Neighborhood Plan. The Capital Development and Strategic Vision Plan is not intended to replace the 2001 IMP but will serve as a foundation to determine whether a new master plan is needed. It will also support the further engagement and collaboration between WWU and the City of Bellingham to update campus land use regulations at the appropriate time.
The plan will assess academic, programmatic and administrative space and facility needs across campus, study existing facilities for their suitability to meet these needs, and identify priorities to support Western’s mission, values, and strategic goals. It will establish a sequence for major projects, including building modernizations and new construction, and develop strategies for spaces that accommodate the relocation of programs, units, and other administrative functions as necessary to accomplish projects.
The plan is also needed to support accreditation and integrated budget processes and to ground planning efforts in the culture and conditions of its campus and communities. It will also be a valuable tool of communication to various stakeholders across campus about major project priorities, sequence, and synergies.
The project team began working with the President's Cabinet, Western's leadership teams, and Facilities Development and Operations on the discovery phase of the plan in August 2023. The discovery phase of the plan involves facilities and site analyses, as well as extensive outreach to solicit input from the campus community, including:
- President’s Cabinet
- Board of Trustees
- Facilities Development and Operations
- President's Sustainability Council
- Enrollment and Student Services leadership
- University Housing, Dining, and Student Union leadership,
- Athletics
- Colleges and Academic Units
- Council of Deans
- Faculty Senate
- ADEI student, faculty, and staff stakeholder groups and program representatives
- Associated Students
- Student body
- Okanagan Charter representatives
- Faculty and staff representatives
- Office of Institutional Effectiveness
A team of consultants and WWU’s project team will hold a series of meetings, workshops, and open houses, conduct an online survey, and use pop-ups and tabling at events. The heart of the planning effort will be in broad and varied stakeholder engagement, to supplement and expand on the background research and analysis into how WWU uses its facilities, to engender broad participation and transparency, and to anchor the deliverables of the Plan in WWU’s mission, values, vision, and goals.
During Winter Quarter of 2024, quantitative and qualitative analyses of data collected during the discovery phase, including the extensive outreach conducted within the WWU community, will help create ideas for development options and project evaluation criteria.
During the spring and summer quarters, projects will be assessed against established criteria, and project priorities will be established, in consultation with all stakeholders and with Western's mission, vision, and goals always in mind.
The plan will continue to be refined through the summer and fall quarters, with completion expected in December of 2024.
Existing studies and plans that are current and relevant will help guide the process, including:
- WWU Strategic Plan 2018-2025
- 2001 Institutional Master Plan
- Sustainability/Climate Action Plan
- Okanagan Charter
- 2019 Campus Space Modeling Study
- 2005 WWU Neighborhood Plan
- 1997 Draft Comprehensive Campus Master Plan
- 2000 Campus Character Study
- Parking Master Plan Update
- Utilities Master Plan
- 2022 Heating Conversion Study
- 2014 STEM Space Needs Assessment
- Facility Condition Assessment
- 2005 South Campus Development Plan
- Housing and Dining Assessment
Through a Request for Qualifications process, the team of NAC Architecture, an award-winning architecture and planning firm, and Walker Macy, a highly experienced woman-owned landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm, was chosen. Both firms share a commitment to holistic planning and design, based on extensive input from all stakeholder groups.
Interactive interviews with two qualified teams were held in May and designed to gauge each team’s effectiveness in 1) Integrating constituent feedback with Western’s mission, values, and facility needs, and 2) Planning, programming, and designing solutions that address and enhance ADEI principles.
The Committee felt that the NAC/Walker Macy team had strong team cohesion, and that their design for the interactive portion of the interviews was very effective at eliciting important insights from the Committee members. NAC/WM also showed strengths in translating ADEI principles into built environment solutions. Ultimately, it was the experience of NAC’s Project Manager and the team’s previous work together that swayed the Committee to select NAC/Walker Macy for recommendation to Vice President Lopes.