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A Regional Renaissance

March 21, 2017

New building planning inspires campus living, learning and collaboration.

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Ohio State’s framework vision is designed to help strengthen the institution’s position as one of the world’s most important and effective centers of teaching and research.

But the university’s Columbus campus is not the only one experiencing a renaissance that will benefit students and faculty for generations. Ohio State’s regional campuses all have plans that support a system-wide vision of improving learning environments and access.

Campuses in Lima, Marion, Mansfield, Newark and Wooster continue to serve as important access points for students throughout the state. These campuses continue to evolve, advance and create new opportunities for their students and communities. Here is a look at some of the new and exciting developments happening on Ohio State campuses throughout the state.


Lima: Improving the student experience

Ohio State Lima

Students at The Ohio State University at Lima will soon have a new, centralized place on campus to meet, work out, socialize, collaborate and study.

Groundbreaking for the Perry Webb Student Life Building will take place this spring with an expected opening in fall 2018. The $5.2 million, 15,000-square-foot building will feature a fitness center, grab-and-go food services, an information commons and collaborative workspace and several multipurpose lounge spaces.

The new building will form the core of a student life experience for the largely commuter student population. While the majority of Ohio State Lima’s students still come from the school’s traditional 10-county region, 46 Ohio counties are now represented on campus. The building will give them a place to study, eat, relax and work collaboratively when they are not in class.

Perry Webb was one of the early supporters of the effort to bring an Ohio State campus to the Lima community. He was a founding member of the Lima Advisory Board and the vice chair of the Lima Campus/Ohio State Fund Drive Campaign.

The Perry Webb Student Life Building will sit next to the academic center of campus, Galvin Hall, filling the final spot on the Quad, the central outdoor gathering space at Ohio State Lima.


Mansfield: A plan for campus-community collaboration

Ohio State Mansfield

The Ohio State University at Mansfield is pursuing campus plans that bring it in closer connection to the Richland County community.

Released in November 2016, the Campus Business District Town Center Framework Plan is a collaborative effort among Ohio State Mansfield, North Central State College, the Richland Community Development Group and the Richland County Regional Planning Commission.

The plans goals include focusing on strategies for the use and preservation of the campus’s natural environment; creating a more connected and interactive campus; serving as a catalyst for cohesive interaction with the community; and supporting faculty, students and community with an intellectually and culturally stimulating environment.

This plan is an example of the strong partnership between Ohio State and Richland County. It is an outgrowth of the Richland County Economic Strategic Plan and subsequent implementation plan that was developed with assistance from Ohio State’s Knowlton School of Architecture and Fisher College of Business, respectively. 


Marion: Strategic investment in STEM

Ohio State Marion

Built to support the campus’s burgeoning science and engineering programs, The Ohio State University at Marion’s 33,500-square-foot science and engineering building is currently under construction and a key component of the campus strategic plan. 

The $15.5 million investment in STEM field education opens in autumn 2017, providing much-needed student access to state-of-the-art laboratory, research and classroom space for multiple science and engineering disciplines.

Growth in these fields is driven by the addition of a new four-year degree program in biological sciences, as well as continued growth in engineering. 

Ohio State Marion currently offers the first full year of course work towards an Ohio State degree in engineering and select second-year course offerings in the areas of computer science engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.

The 2016 completion of the University Drive extension project through the campus’s western boundary provided a needed second access road to the campus and open sightlines of the campus to the community. The Annex of Marion, a privately developed student housing project located adjacent to campus, completed phase two construction in autumn semester 2016 and now offers student housing for nearly 200 Marion campus students.

Future expansion includes an estimated $1.85 million renovation of academic space on the third floor of Morrill Hall for mixed use, and a paved bike and walking trail loop around the campus, connecting the campus to a city/county bike trail system. As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability, Ohio State Marion is also upgrading all exterior lighting to LEDs.


Newark: An improved home on campus

Ohio State Newark

To enhance the role that The Ohio State University at Newark plays in providing access to the university, the campus is increasing opportunities for students to live on campus and building the infrastructure to support those students.

A new residence hall is currently under construction. The $12.9 million facility is being built next to existing residence halls on the north side of campus.

The four-story, 120-bed facility will have a student lounge, kitchen, laundry area, a 300-person event space and offices. The project will include a new pedestrian walking path that will link the campus core with the residential district. Construction is planned for completion in July 2017, just in time for the start of autumn semester.

The new Adena Recreation Center opened its doors this past January, the first day of spring semester classes at Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) and Ohio State Newark. The $3.7 million upgrade included updating the lobby, renovating the corridor leading to the south section of the building, enhancing the fire-alarm system, replacing bleachers in the gymnasium and purchasing new fitness equipment. The state-of-the-art recreation and fitness facility is free to students, faculty and staff.

Campus leaders are now exploring future projects, which include renovations to the oldest building on campus, Founders Hall, and the possibility of a new science facility.


ATI in Wooster: Growing the greenhouse

Ohio State ATI Wooster

A new 5,400-square-foot greenhouse is a centerpiece of campus enhancements planned at Ohio State’s Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster.

The new greenhouse will be divided into three teaching bays and will be connected to ATI’s existing horticulture complex. The addition will give ATI more than 20,000 square feet of learning and production space.

This space is expected to be complete by this summer and is just the latest development for the greenhouse program, which last summer launched the only two-year program in the United States for greenhouse engineering technology.

In addition to the greenhouse, ATI is also converting three traditional classrooms into distance-learning labs, and will soon convert a former maintenance facility into a welcome center in the heart of Secrest Arboretum. The new welcome center will include teaching and conference space.