Campus Master Planning Committee
Created 2014-2015
Last Update 4.2.2021
The Vassar College campus currently encompasses approximately 1000 acres and includes more than 50 buildings. Preserving the beauty and educational value of the campus necessitates careful planning that is grounded in the mission of the institution while recognizing the need for continued renewal and change.
The overriding consideration in the development of the campus over time should be the critical role of facilities in supporting and promoting the College’s educational mission as described in the official Mission Statement of the College. Thus, the programmatic needs of the College must always be primary in planning.
The campus should reflect and embody Vassar’s commitment to excellence in all things, including its facilities and landscape.
The value of a residential community that fosters learning both within and outside of the academic programs should be reflected in campus planning.
Sustainable solutions should be explicitly addressed in the construction, renovation, and development of campus facilities, infrastructure, landscape, and organizational structures so as to maximize the utility of these resources for future generations of Vassar students and to conserve and preserve natural resources.
Access, diversity, and equity, as shared values of the Vassar community, should be reflected in the selection of architects, design professionals, and planners and in all aspects of campus planning.
A diversity of landscapes and architecture is of intrinsic and academic value to the College.
It is understood that the campus, as well as the College’s academic programs, are of vital importance to the local and regional communities--and vice versa; campus planning should reflect the value of promoting mutually beneficial relationships between the College and these communities.
Because campus planning is grounded in an understanding of current uses as well as past and projected trends, it relies on the availability of accurate data on campus facilities, infrastructure, and resource allocation.
Definitions:
Campus = all College properties, including central campus, the Farm and Ecological Preserve, the riverfront property, the Arlington properties.
Landscape = exterior spaces
Facilities = buildings