Letter to The Chancellor


	The campus of a university occupies a special place in a community. It offers a haven for contemplation and inquiry and also reflects the values and aspirations of that community. In that regard, a university campus is a highly visible public trust.

	We at UNC Charlotte have long been aware of the special place our University occupies in this region of the Carolinas. This institution grew out of a grassroots need for greater educational opportunity. People in North Carolina recognized that if they and their children and grandchildren were to succeed in the years ahead, they had to improve the training of minds and hearts as well as hands and bodies. Over the past 36 years, UNC Charlotte has to those aspirations. The University has grown rapidly to meet rising demand and expectations. It has expanded its libraries, classrooms, laboratories and residence halls as fast as public and private dollars would permit.

	As we look ahead into the 21^st century, we recognize the need for bolder and even more sophisticated planning. We must have space for a growing number of degree programs and burgeoning research endeavors. An additional three million square feet of space is needed if we are to serve an enrollment of 30,000 students.

	This Master Plan for campus development has been two years in the making. It draws heavily from the 1995 Master Plan that likewise took several years to complete. It is the product of collaborative efforts of faculty members, campus administrators, our Board of Trustees, and members of the community. It takes into account major development considerations that have occurred since 1995. Among these are plans for the Charlotte Institute for Technology Innovation, UNC Charlotte’s public-private research and technology complex, and the 2000 Higher Education Improvement Bonds, which bring impressive resources to the University to build additional academic facilities.

	We are grateful to the Charlotte firm of Cole Jenest and Stone in collaboration with Cooper Robinson & Partners of New York City for their work on this plan. We also thank the University’s Physical Planning Task Force for its many hours of work and service.

	We want UNC Charlotte to be a model for development in the region and especially for the surrounding University City area. We want our campus to be an inviting place, one that inspires creativity, supports inquiry, promotes contemplation, feeds the spirit and mind, and sets a high standard for the quality of life all around it.



	James H. Woodward, Chancellor The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte - Facilities Management
9201 University City Blvd • Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
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