USC Next announced an updated Columbia Campus Master Plan, outlining what the next 10 years may look like. The master plan — which hasn’t been updated since 2018 — was approved by The USC Board of Trustees and outlines several proposed improvements or capital projects that could change campus + Columbia’s landscape.
Master plan goals
- Reinvigorate historic campus core
- Improve student life experience
- Reimagine its research footprint
- Realize a new health sciences campus
“The university and the entire community benefit from a campus plan that provides an inspiring vision for the future. USC Next does that, and serves as a roadmap to ensure current and future campus development is strategic, integrated, and consistent with what South Carolina should expect from a world-class research university,” Board Chairman Thad Westbrook said.
A high-level look at proposed updates
Along with addressing some common flooding areas, here are a few other projects the university has going on, either from past master plans or upcoming initiatives.
- Continue to partner with state + local government to bring additional pedestrian connectors to the Congaree River — a project outlined in a 1994 master plan.
- Rebuild, or repurpose student residence buildings — think: building a new wing in the Honors College or redeveloping the McBryde residence hall
- Expand or upgrade student dining, study spaces, lounges, recreational spaces, and parking + enhance athletic venues — think: Thomas Cooper Library or land around Williams-Brice Stadium.
- Construct cutting-edge research facilities — think: renovating three floors of the Science and Technology building’s East Tower to have a new state-of-the-art classroom, lab, and study space.
- Build a 308,000 sqft School of Medicine and Research building featuring up to four additional buildings in the BullStreet District.
“While not every project imagined in the plan will come to fruition, USC Next provides a valuable perspective on the university’s infrastructure and how to design it to best accommodate our current and future needs,” President Michael Amiridis said.
Each new project will need to be individually approved by university officials. If you want to learn more about the master plan, visit the USC Next site.
