A new welcome center that highlights the beauty of The University of Toledo’s original buildings and a new state-of-the-art science building are among the more than $300 million investments in a proposed updated campus master plan.
The UToledo Board of Trustees approved Wednesday a resolution in support of the 2024 update that would reinvigorate the core of Main Campus around Centennial Mall and invest in both clinical and student spaces on Health Science Campus.
A concept for a new welcome center provides a “front door” to the University connected to Scott and Tucker Halls where prospective and current students would access support services.
“This is an investment in UToledo’s future to ensure our beautiful campus continues to support our growing strengths in STEM-H educational programs, high-quality patient care, cutting-edge research and championship athletics,” UToledo President Gregory Postel said. “We look forward to celebrating these campus improvements in the years ahead and the positive impact they will have on attracting students and faculty to campus and engaging with our community.”
As projects in the campus plan update move forward, the UToledo Board of Trustees will approve the financing for each project separately and will include a mix of state capital dollars, the University borrowing from the capital markets and philanthropic support. The updated campus master plan would be phased in during the next five years and is expected to be a $300 million to $400 million investment.
The proposed new welcome center would provide a “front door” to the University off Bancroft Street connected to Scott and Tucker Halls, moving the student support services closer to the heart of campus. Rocket Hall, which currently houses Rocket Solution Central and other student support services, is a converted strip mall and grocery store on the southwest corner of campus that no longer supports the University’s needs and will be razed. The new location of those student services also closely ties them to UToledo’s admissions team located in Libbey Hall.
The proposed new science building is planned for the space where the current Health and Human Services Building is on the east side of Centennial Mall. The new building would feature state-of-the-art classroom, lab and research areas and be the new home for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. It would replace Bowman-Oddy and Wolfe Halls, which would be razed.
Adding these new buildings provides opportunities to relocate some health education-focused programs to Health Science Campus and move other departments to existing campus buildings that would be renovated to accommodate them. College of Health and Human Services offices would move to Gillham Hall.
A concept for a new science building located on the east side of Centennial Mall would feature state-of-the-art classroom, lab and research areas and be the new home for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
Also included in the updated campus master plan are renovations to the Student Union on Main Campus, renovations to Mulford Library to serve as a student union on Health Science Campus and improvements to Carlson Library on Main Campus. Investments in clinical operations include cardiology lab upgrades, transplant service expansion and new equipment.
The master plan update also includes components of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics’ strategic plan, Rise Together.
This 2024 update is to the University’s previous 10-year campus master plan approved in 2017 that was the first comprehensive plan since the 2006 merger between UToledo and the former Medical College of Ohio.
UToledo has completed approximately 75% of what was laid out in the first half of that plan, including building the new public safety building that opened in 2020, razing the Transportation Center in 2021 and Carter Hall in 2022, and improving the pedestrian bridge by Savage Arena and adding a kayak launch area to the Ottawa River walk in 2019. Centennial Mall underwent an extensive enhancement project in 2021 and the North Engineering high-bay renovations were celebrated in 2023.
Aligned with the multiple campus master plan, UToledo has invested in numerous renovations to libraries, classrooms, research labs and clinical spaces across both campuses during the past five years.
“This update to our campus master plan will reenergize the heart of campus by strategically pulling inward the core operations of UToledo around our Centennial Mall and improving the campus experience,” said Jason Toth, senior associate vice president for administration, facilities and construction, and supply chain. “We are excited to start this collaborative process across all our partners at the University to achieve this new vision for our campus and support our new strategic plan and campus leadership, students, patients, faculty, staff and visitors to our beautiful campus.”
The University is working with the consulting firm Smith Group, which also collaborated with UToledo on the 2017 multiple campus master plan.
