BSU Blog Fest: Day Five - BSU's Future

I'm excited to participate in Bridgewater State University's second year of Blog Fest, a one-week adventure exploring the thoughts and ideas of several students, faculty members, and staff members in daily, themed blogs.  It's a highlighted feature of our Social Media Week, hosted by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership, as the campus community engages in the promotion and education of all that is social media.  For this week, I'll use my personal blog, "Goodharted Thoughts," to share my personal experiences, as well as my professional experience as a Resident Director, in the context of BSU's Blog Fest.  

Day Five's BlogFest Theme: BSU's Future

I have enjoyed contributing to BSU BlogFest this year.  Tonight I write my final post in this themed series.  It's challenging to consider what's in store for the future of Bridgewater State University, but there are some prominent physical changes to the campus in the next few years to look forward to.

Firstly, the new Math and Science Center seems to be coming along quite nicely.  It's planned to open in the fall this year.  It certainly will be a point of pride for BSU to have such a facility.  I'm sure it will attract a strong new generation of students to come who will make their marks in the sciences.

Soon enough, the parking garage on the east side of campus will be in full use.  Just a couple years ago, it seemed so unlikely that we'd ever see a parking garage on this campus due to its costs and concerns that it wouldn't blend in with the rest of the campus.  It's a good example of how things can change so quickly on any college campus.  I'm a little concerned about how the parking garage will contribute to traffic problems on the east side of campus, but I've heard rumors that there will eventually be a traffic light installed either near Hooper Street or Great Hill Drive.  That should help a lot!

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the upcoming Weygand Hall, the residence hall set to open during the fall of 2013.  Planned to be the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold residence hall on our campus (a very high standard for efficiency), Weygand Hall will be the home to brand new living-learning communities.  The features of sustainability within the building will be very impressive.  And it'll be the new location for the Health Services office.  I would imagine that a lot of college campuses will be looking to Weygand Hall as a model for new residence halls on their campuses.

I'm personally super-excited for the new green space that will be added where the north end of the Lower Great Hill Lot currently is.  BSU has been a bit lacking in green space, in my opinion, and this should add some scenic beauty to the campus.  When I think about the vast lawns at previous institutions I've attended or worked at like Radford University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Idaho, they have a significant place in my heart.  Wide open space just offers a sense of calmness where you just want to breathe in the air and smile.  I know that a lot of students are concerned about the fact that parking spaces are going to be lost when the grassy plaza is added, but I think it's worth it.  Parking is always going to be an issue at any campus, and the fact is that BSU will still have plenty of parking for everyone - just not necessarily where everyone would like it.  But alumni tend to remember the positive aspects rather than negative aspects to their alma mater's physical appearance.    

Construction and renovation will dominate the campus this summer, but it'll be worth the temporary inconveniences to see a promising and beautiful future of Bridgewater State University.

It's pretty incredible to visit a campus ten years afterward.  When I returned to my undergraduate alma mater, Radford University, in Virginia back in October 2011 for my ten-year reunion, the changes on the campus were significant.  From little differences like more flowers and benches - to a large facade of a new building for the College of Business, I was kind of awestruck about how the campus had improved since I graduated.  I imagine that for many BSU students they'll be equally impressed when they return to the Bridgewater campus ten years from now.

You can follow Mike Goodhart on Twitter at @mtgoodha.