With official planning set to start Sept. 20, the Master Plan Steering Committee (MPSC) at Webster University is gearing up for a 10-month process. The MPSC is an 18-member board with faculty, staff and student representation, as well as ranking members in the administration.
Director of Community and Media Relations at Webster Barb Ehnes said the process took several weeks and involved a number of recommendations submitted to Provost Julian Schuster, member of the MPSC.
“The Master Plan Steering Committee represents a very wide array of interests and campus groups,” Ehnes said. “We tried to get a voice for everybody in the room.”
The board also includes a member of the Webster Groves Chamber of Commerce, as well as a representative of the neighborhood advisory board.
The MPSC will meet directly with representatives from Sasaki Associates, the design firm contracted for the university master plan. Ehnes, who is a member of the MPSC, said the first meeting would include a “massive presentation,” to the MPSC on data collected so far.
The entire process will be documented on a website currently being constructed, according to university sources. The site will link directly from the www.webster.edu homepage, and will provide videos of presentations, regular updates on the process and a tool for feedback from users.
There are two students on the committee. Loren Douglass, senior economics and marketing major, is the sole undergraduate on the committee. Lauren Meyer, who is earning her MA in Human Resources Management, is the graduate student assigned to the committee.
Douglass said Ted Hoef, Dean of Students, recommended her to Schuster because of her experience as a student ambassador and as program manager for campus activities.
“I think I can help because I represent a wide array of students,” Douglass said. “I’ve lived here and I’ve commuted, I’ve been an athlete, student activities, I hope I can help with that experience.”
Senior project manager Steve Strang said there are four phases to the planning process — assessment, exploration, master plan development and community engagement. Once each phase is complete, presentations will be made to the MPSC by Sasaki representatives to determine which areas need the most focus and resources.
“All of the presentations made (to the MPSC) will be on the website for feedback,” Ehnes said. “It’s a very exciting system.”
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