10
Kansas State Engineer
As engineering students, many of
us have had classes in several differ-
ent locations on campus. As you were
venturing on the short jaunt or long
trek, did you ever wonder why or how
certain buildings came to be? Or how
they ended up looking the way they
did?
From the original Kansas State Col-
lege of Agriculture and Applied Sci-
ences in 1863 to the current Kansas
State University, many buildings have
gone up. Some have been torn down,
some burned down, some are falling
down and some remain to this day. One
look at a few of the remaining build-
ings and it is evident that some of the
same styling and design are still an in-
tegral part of the campus today.
Frederick Law Olmsted, one of the ear-
liest university planners, knew how im-
portant a long-term vision and guide
was. In 1866 he was quoted as saying:
“[Y]ou must embrace in your ground-
plan arrangement for something more
than oral instruction and practical
demonstration in the science of agri-
culture… You must include arrange-
ments designed to favorably affect the
habits and inclinations of your stu-
dents, and to qualify them for a wise
and beneficent exercise of the rights
and duties of citizens and of household-
ers.”
Through the years, even with new
buildings and renovations, the KSU
campus did not grow at the same rate as
the patrons filling it did. In 1981, the
university found itself 700,000 net
square feet short of much needed space.
Between 1981 and 2002, over 600,000
square feet was built to cover the space
deficit, with still over one million square
feet in need of renovation. However,
even today it is obvious that during this
time period, very few thoughts were
given to aesthetics, infrastructure,
buildings and overall campus layout.
Some kind of guide and planning pro-
cess was needed.
In 1998, the Facilities Planning De-
partment published “Campus Planning:
People, Principles and Process.” This
publication started the Kansas State
University Master Plan process and cre-
ated the Campus Development and Plan-
ning Policy Committee (CDPPC). The
CDPPC was to direct the development
of this Master Plan. The evolution of
the Master Plan took over three years,
with the draft plan approved in the fall
of 2002.
The CDPPC meets twice a month in
the facilities planning conference room
where they review and discuss any un-
dertaking that addresses campus
growth, change and renewal. Recom-
mendations are then made following the
guiding principles as laid out in the mas-
ter plan:
1) Reflect the mission of Kansas
The Kansas State Master Plan
The KSU campus then, now and what is to come
By Eric Figge
Holtz Hall, ca. 1885
Taken from KSU Master Plan
Proposed campus layout
Taken from KSU Master Plan
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