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Land use plan
The Campus Master Plan Land Use serves as the framework for how CMU invests in and organizes its physical campus over time. The strategy is driven by several core principles: supporting student success, strengthening health and well-being, stewarding finite resources, improving the utilization of existing facilities, fostering innovation and research, enhancing campus identity, and creating a cohesive, walkable environment that strengthens connections between students, faculty, staff, visitors, and the surrounding community.
The land use plan seeks to balance future growth with responsible stewardship by prioritizing renovation and modernization, rightsizing facilities where appropriate, and making strategic investments that align with the university’s long-term goals.
To guide implementation of the land use plan, the 2021 Campus Master Plan organizes projects into four Area Development Plans (ADPs). Together, these plans create a coordinated roadmap for future investments across the university and form the foundation of CMU’s cohesive, long-range land use plan.
Academic Area Development Plan
The Academic Area Development Plan, or ADP, focuses on teaching, learning and research environments that support academic excellence and innovation. Planned investments include renovations to academic facilities such as Brooks Hall, Pearce Hall, Wightman Hall, Sloan Hall, Dow Science Building, and the IET Building, along with a future Research and Teaching Facility designed to support interdisciplinary research and sponsored research growth.
Estimated Investment: Approximately $155 million, funded primarily through university capital planning, bond financing, state capital support opportunities, research initiatives, and other academic funding sources.
Student Affairs Area Development Plan
The Student Affairs Area Development Plan, or ADP, places students at the center of campus investment decisions. Projects focus on residential and campus life, dining, student engagement, wellness, and student support services. Major initiatives include Bovee University Center renovations and expansion, Merrill Dining improvements, residence hall renovations, the Student Activity Center, and the proposed Finch Fieldhouse Center for Well-Being.
Estimated Investment: Approximately $312 million, funded largely through self-supporting auxiliary enterprise revenues such as housing and dining operations, bond financing, philanthropic support, and other Student Affairs-related capital funding sources.
Athletics Area Development Plan
The Athletics Area Development Plan, or ADP, focuses on facilities that support NCAA Division I athletics, student-athlete development, recreation, and special events. Projects include improvements to Kelly/Shorts Stadium, the Indoor Athletic Complex, Rose-Ryan Center, Kulhavi Events Center, practice facilities, and softball performance enhancements. The emphasis is on modernizing facilities, improving athlete experience, supporting Title IX goals, and maintaining competitive athletic programs.
Estimated Investment: Approximately $84 million, funded through athletic revenues, donor and philanthropic support, capital fundraising efforts, sponsorship opportunities, and university athletic investment strategies.
Administration Area Development Plan
The Administration Area Development Plan, or ADP, includes projects that support day-to-day campus operations and enhance the overall campus environment. This category encompasses university administrative facilities, infrastructure improvements, utilities, landscape projects, wayfinding and open spaces. Major landscape initiatives include improvements to Warriner Mall, Central Campus Oval, South Commons, and the Preston/Franklin streetscape enhancements.
Estimated Investment: Approximately $125 million, funded through university capital planning, deferred maintenance programs, utility investments, alumni and donor support, and other institutional resources.
Collectively, these four Area Development Plans represent more than $675 million in planned investments, providing CMU with a coordinated approach to academic excellence, student success, campus operations, athletic competitiveness, and long-term stewardship of university resources. Together they create a unified land use framework that supports the university’s mission while preserving flexibility for future opportunities and changing needs.