Members of Campus Planning serve on a diverse group of committees, which are listed here alphabetically:
CAMPUS PHYSICAL PLANNING COUNCIL
The director of Campus Planning serves on the Campus Physical Planning Council, which advises the UMass Amherst administration on issues relating to the physical environment of the campus as they contribute to and affect the mission, goals and quality of academic life at the University. The CPPC serves as a forum for the communication and exchange of ideas and proposals regarding development on the campus and its impact on the campus community, the surrounding neighborhoods, and the towns of Amherst and Hadley.
The intent of the Council’s involvement is to carry out intelligent and representative reviews of proposed projects, and to offer timely and constructive comment and recommendations directly to the administrative group managing the projects as well as serving as an advisory body to the Provost, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, and Faculty Senate.
COLLECTIONS
During the Campus Master Planning effort the need to better understand and plan for the UMass Amherst collections was identified and an Ad-Hoc Collections Committee was created to help advance a better understanding of the existing collections and how best to plan for the future. The committee was comprised of Directors/ curators of campus academic collections, Campus Planning staff and other related campus professionals. The first task of the committee was to develop a basis for creating a planning framework for the academic collections. The Committee defined existing collections and set a framework and common language that enabled the classification and quantification of collections space on campus. The UMass Amherst Collections 2013 report summarizes each collection, its mission and the contact person responsible for the collection. The term collection was defined to include all the campus holdings that are used for academic, research and outreach purposes, with the exception of the Libraries, which had recently completed a facilities master plan and a strategy for its facilities. The Campus Collections Committee has developed a holistic vision of the 'Campus as Museum' that will transform the physical campus into an immersive educational environment, will make the campus a destination of choice for students, parents, and alumni, and support on-going relationships with elected officials and the public. It will also harness the irreplaceable assets in our collections to enhance research, teaching, outreach, and development activities. For more information about the Committee, please view the Library Databases & Collections pull-down menu for Campus Collections, or contact Chair Julie Brigham-Grette.
FRANK A. WAUGH ARBORETUM COMMITTEE
The Frank A. Waugh Arboretum, which covers most of the UMass Amherst campus, was founded in 1944 and named after the landscape architect pioneer who was the first head of what is now the university’s landscape architecture and regional planning department. The Arboretum has been awarded a Level IV Accreditation, the highest level, by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program which recognizes the arboretum’s tree collection diversity, management policy, public access and engagement with research. The arboretum serves as a living laboratory for university and Five-College research in landscape architecture, botany, horticulture, forestry, ecological restoration and plant sciences and a resource center for external professionals such as landscape architects, nursery professionals, and amateur gardeners. To learn more, contact committee member Simon Raine at Campus Planning.
PARKING TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD
The mission of the Parking and Transportation Advisory Board (PTAB) is to review matters related to parking and transportation, including bicycling and fleet, and to provide input to master planning. Given the importance of parking and transportation on the Amherst Campus, PTAB's role is critical in that it generates broad-based input from students, faculty and staff.
The Parking Transportation Advisory Board is chaired by the Director of Transportation Services, and includes the Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Campus Services, representatives from Physical Plant, Parking Services, the Ombudsman, Student Government Representative, Faculty Senate Representatives, and various Union representatives. Niels La Cour serves as the representative for Campus Planning. The group receives regular reports from Transportation and Parking Services, and from Design & Construction Management in regard to construction projects and Campus Planning in regard to planning initiatives and other issues within their purview. They meet twice a semester in the Fall and Spring.
UMASS AMHERST MAKER NETWORK
The UMassAmherst Maker Network is a group of students, faculty and staff who aim to foster a diverse maker community with access to tools, knowledge and support services, and to promote engaged learning, scientific research, artistic expression, and exploration of both independent and collaborative projects. The UMA-MN has established a pop-up All Campus Makerspace in Agricultural Engineering Central, Rooms 114 and 120, to help build a campus community of makers, invigorate activities, and provide a place to gather, share resources, and make things. Explore their website and available spaces with the UMA-Maker-Network map.
UMASS BRUT
A collaborative advocacy group of faculty, staff, and students from both UMass Amherst and UMass Dartmouth aim to raise awareness of the relevance and international significance of our Brutalist heritage in order to foster pride in our campuses. Dedicated to celebrating, preserving and reimagining our Brutalist architecture, a yearlong kick-off campaign will unfold over the course of 2020, featuring a series of events and activities such as lectures, tours, gallery exhibitions, and installations by artists. Beyond this yearlong campaign, the group aims to maintain a social media presence (check us out on instagram @umassBRUT), host annual tours, and continue to plan engaging events and activities on both campuses. The two universities intend to use this momentum to apply for grants and promote future funding for the conservation of the buildings on each campus. Most importantly, raising appreciation for the architecture of these two landmark campuses will raise pride in UMass as a whole.
UNIVERSITY PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE
The University Public Art Committee approves and oversees proposed public art projects on the UMass campus. The director of Campus Planning serves on the committee as an active voice in the decision making process. The committee analyzes open space and proposes the most advantageous ways to improve outdoor space utilization with public art to best showcase the positive attributes of the campus landscape. They weigh pros and cons of various sites for specific proposed projects and present their findings related to location, foot traffic, approximate construction time needed, views to and from proposed sites, scale of project in relation to the site, whether utilities will be needed, and other important site qualities and factors. To learn more, contact committee chair Simon Raine at Campus Planning.
