Facilities

The campus of Ohio Wesleyan University is our laboratory for learning. The campus and its facilities create and contribute to the sense of campus community. The facilities provide the context for our teaching and learning. We affirm that facilities on our campus should support and promote premier programming; make an impact on the hearts and in the minds of visitors, alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff; and stand the test of time. We will make significant investment in our campus facilities and grounds in order to enhance our educational experience, create greater opportunity for seminars and tutorials, provide space for on-campus engaged learning, and foster a vibrant, close-knit community.

Guiding Principles

We affirm the following guiding principles related to facilities planning:

  • Preservation, restoration and reuse of our existing, historically significant facilities should be favored over new construction
  • All facilities decisions should consider functionality, aesthetics, economics, environmental concerns, operational efficiency, and technology
  • OWU should adhere to a core set of architectural standards that will build our identity across the entire campus
  • Facilities funding should be distributed in such a way that balances the needs of all constituencies over time and supports the Strategic Plan
  • Facilities preventative maintenance and repairs should happen in a timely and minimally disruptive fashion
  • OWU must prioritize funding for facilities maintenance, repair, and replacement in a formal and systematic fashion that includes input from all constituencies

Specific facilities objectives include:

  • Utilize the campus master plan as a continuing guide for facilities and grounds improvement
  • Give priority to the identification and maintenance of “marquee facilities,” including those structures and features of the campus that have a significant role in our identity and public image
  • Renew residential campus with renovation of residence halls; renovation, and in some cases, replacement of small living units; expansion of lifestyle opportunities with addition of town house and/or apartment living on campus; renovation of Greek houses; and reallocation of vacant Greek houses for other residential opportunities
  • Provide a recreational facility on residential campus
  • Enhance Hamilton-Williams Campus Center to support community building and increase student use of the facility
  • Address academic facilities, as listed in the section on Academic Program
  • Construct a new arena and field house
  • Conduct a strategic assessment of campus perimeter and develop and implement a plan for purchase of perimeter property with long-term value for the University
  • Develop and implement a plan to address accessibility of OWU campus

Creating a Sustainable Campus

Ohio Wesleyan University seeks be a leader in higher education with its commitment to environmental sustainability, in keeping with its mission to offer an education grounded in a set of values.

Specific objectives include:

  • Give particular attention to issues of sustainability in construction and renovation projects, including making a deliberate effort to achieve LEED certification
  • Develop programs on campus reflecting best practices of sustainability and environmental sensitivity