UNO Campus Update

[iamjacobm]

Link to the new UNO Master Plan

http://content.omaha.com/media/maps/ps/ ... noplan.pdf

Highlights include:

More than doubling the student housing to 4300.

Eliminating nearly all the surface parking on the Dodge Campus in favor of new structured parking and below grade parking with a park space on the current lot between Dodge and the bell tower.

Eliminating the massive lots on Pacific Campus in favor of structured parking and a student green space on 67th and Pacific.  Said to connect Elmwood to Pacific Campus and A/V better.

Improving the bus system on campus as well as pushing bike and pedestrian travel between the campuses.

All in all just makes everything look like a real campus.

[RNcyanide]

My personal favorite, they seem to have plans for replacing that eyesore, Kayser Hall...

[Brad]

Looks like a great plan.  Can't wait to see it all come together!

[Garrett]

Interesting how they seem to destroy a lot of housing to build new housing, though. How old is all of that stuff?

[jessep28]

"Reinforce the 100% spot?!" (page 23) I'm totally submitting this to Weasel Words.

http://www.weaselwords.com.au/

[Seth]

Adding some "quad" spaces, especially the one at the Dodge St. entrance would really change the character of the campus.  It reminds me of a strip mall parking lot every time I drive by.

[RNcyanide]

If there's anything that gets implemented by this plan, I sincerely hope it's the quad spaces and more parking solutions. Parking there is the worst joke ever. I'd rather have teeth pulled than try to find parking mid morning or mid afternoon.

[MTO]

[skinzfan23]

New UNO center strengthens ties between campus, community

The center, officially opening today on the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Dodge Street campus, is filled with university organizations and small nonprofits committed to the public good.

Tenants in the building and leaders at UNO hope it will become a vehicle for change in the community, lead to more service projects for students and be a way for more high schoolers to get to know the UNO campus.

Other organizations renting space in the building include Omaha By Design, the Omaha Public Library and Queer Nebraska Youth Networks. UNO departments moving to the building include Maverick PR and the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies.

It's hard to say what the center will become; Christensen said UNO couldn't find a similar model for it among urban universities. That's part of the reason UNO will host the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities conference at the center next year. Christensen hopes that by then UNO will have some concrete lessons and advice to share for others considering the same step.

[iamjacobm]

A very good addition to campus.

[Brad]

Aerial Photo Update!

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[Brad]

The second half of the newest Maverick Minuets (Number 5) is about the new Soccer Field.

http://www.omavs.com/mediaPortal/player ... id=3318005" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I din't know this but the new UNO Soccer Field is only one of 4 FIFA 2 Star Soccer Fields in the country and the only College Filed to have the FIFA 2 stars!

[GetUrban]

I never realized UNO did-away with track and field too, when they got rid of football and wrestling. Guess they had to in order to fit in the soccer field.

[Stargazer]

The whole course of events was a travesty... Caniglia field could have been looking like this by now... perhaps event hosting FXFL games.

[l-dude]

The whole course of events was a travesty... Caniglia field could have been looking like this by now... perhaps event hosting FXFL games.

How can we know anything as it pertains to UNO's future? Lots of conjecture...my take...both of my parents attended "Omaha University" (the OU Indians, their mascot, Oumpi...(sp?)... not respectful, especially compared to North Dakota's and Washington, D.C.'s teams,...OU dropped that team/mascot name years ago, which I give them many credits for) as well as an older brother, and a grandmother that obtained her teacher's certificate there. For her, that was on their original Kountz Park mansion campus location...a degree was not really necessary to get employment back in her day). As a family and community connection to OU, I lost a part of my left lung when UNO dropped Football and wresting. The sports reporting around here has certainly been less challenging since that time... I miss Mav football (North Central Conference champions "lots of" times, and especially the wrestling teams coached by Mike Denny..............The OWH sports pages are much less interesting to read since then. Always hoping for a new, enlightened future (curtsey of Trev Alberts, who I don't singularly blame for the current state of affairs). "Go Mavs".

[iamjacobm]

Maverick statue installed today.

[iamjacobm]

Long range growth here.

http://www.omaha.com/money/blog/uno-col ... f6878.html

A $15 million addition is in the works for the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Business Dean Louis Pol said the 2,400-student college stands grow by 800 as part of UNO’s plan to enroll 20,000 students by 2020.

A proposal to add eight people to the 60-member faculty and start new programs would more than fill the college’s existing Mammel Hall, which opened in 2010, Pol said.

The addition would connect to the west end of Mammel Hall, which has about 120,000 square feet of space.

Pol said a fund-raising effort has not started, but the possible expansion is part of the university’s master plan and could be a reality in two or three years if the added faculty positions are approved by the end of this school year.

[iamjacobm]

http://www.unomaha.edu/news/maverick-da ... n=clicks#a

Parking Services and Business and Finance are excited to announce FOUR sustainable new programs that just might change how you commute to campus in 2015.

MavRide – Expanded to UNO faculty/staff
Zimride – A ride sharing program coming to UNO in January 2015
Emergency Ride Home – A ride to get you home if the unforeseen happens
Zipcar – Expanded for UNO department use

Riding the bus or sharing a ride through the Zimride program will translate to a “greener” trip to and from campus and Zipcar will now be available for department use. All these programs will help commuters manage their costs while reducing parking pressure and traffic congestion on campus.

[skinzfan23]

I think the MavRide is a great program. Wish they would have had that when I was attending.

[iamjacobm]

http://journalstar.com/news/local/educa ... 3d520.html

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents could pave the way for 14 percent more student housing on the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus.

The $21 million project, to be built in cooperation with the Scott Foundation, will house 300 students and include 20,000 square feet of education space, according to an agenda item to be considered by the board on Friday.

On-campus housing has been in high demand each of the last four school years and continues to grow, UNO spokesman Charley Reed said.

Nearly 95 percent of the 2,080 rooms on UNO’s campus were filled in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years. That rose to 100 percent last year.

Last fall, with enrollment at more than 15,000, UNO put 120 students on a waiting list as the five complexes on UNO’s main campus as well as its Pacific Street campus were at capacity.

Pending regent approval, UNO could move ahead on building the $21 million facility on the Pacific Campus.

The project would be financed by the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation and leased by UNO, with the university to buy it at a later date at a price no higher than it cost to build.

[Garrett]

Well, even more excitement in Aksarben eh? Wonder where it'll be... and It'll essentially have to take out a parking lot or two.

[hatwate]

According to the documents for the Regents agenda it is at 67 & Pine on NE corner. It also shows a parking garage on the narrow strip of land SE of 67th & Pacific.

[iamjacobm]

According to the documents for the Regents agenda it is at 67 & Pine on NE corner. It also shows a parking garage on the narrow strip of land SE of 67th & Pacific.

That makes sense for the dorms. That is unexpected news for a parking garage though, that is a massive hill to take out.

[Stargazer]

The apartment style dorms are nice... my son is staying in one, although, if they want to really boost enrollment, they need to start building some more traditional style dorms... finally start shedding the commuter campus image.

[Coyote]

That makes sense for the dorms.  That is unexpected news for a parking garage though, that is a massive hill to take out.

A massive hill, yes, with 66th Street right at the top.

[skinzfan23]

The apartment style dorms are nice... my son is staying in one, although, if they want to really boost enrollment, they need to start building some more traditional style dorms... finally start shedding the commuter campus image.

I have said that for years. I think they could add a traditional style dorm in the pep bowl area on the Dodge St campus.

[daveoma]

I was part of the first class to live in the first dorms on campus at UNO in 1999. Traditional dorms were being obsolete back then because students naturally preferred to have their own space (similar to an apartment) with privacy if it's available. I know it's expensive but I would like to see the University build up instead of destroying all that green space for another grouping of 3 storey buildings.

[Garrett]

Traditional dorms don't even have to be shitty. I lived in one last year and it was amazing. My avatar was taken in it in fact...

[hatwate]

I am not sure they are going to tear out the hill that supports 66th street. The plan shows a very narrow garage. You can check out the schematic at http://www.nebraska.edu/docs/board/agen ... -30-15.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; pg. 36

[RNcyanide]

The apartment style dorms are nice... my son is staying in one, although, if they want to really boost enrollment, they need to start building some more traditional style dorms... finally start shedding the commuter campus image.

I have said that for years.  I think they could add a traditional style dorm in the pep bowl area on the Dodge St campus.

They need an open green space. This college doesn't even have a traditional style quad - although one is planned in the future in the parking lot directly north of the Henningson Memorial Campanile. They use the pep bowl for a lot of things, whether they be demonstrations, shows, displays, or just lounging or playing frisbee on nice days.

[Seth]

The apartment style dorms are nice... my son is staying in one, although, if they want to really boost enrollment, they need to start building some more traditional style dorms... finally start shedding the commuter campus image.

The decline of traditional dormitory housing and shift to apartment-style residence halls with more amenities is a national trend. It's one of the factors contributing to the increases in education cost. It would be nice if universities would maintain both, and price them accordingly, so students (and parents) would at least have a clear choice in cost. If I were starting at a university, I'd sure sacrifice a little luxury and private space for less debt after graduation. Of course, I did my first two years at community college and lived at home, then lived with three other guys in a cheap apartment when I transferred to university, so I took an even cheaper route.

[bigredmed]

So agree with regular dorms. Too many kids look at the cool big space and don't get that it will cost more than any apartment they will rent in the future after you calculate the compound interest.

[Garrett]

I am not sure they are going to tear out the hill that supports 66th street. The plan shows a very narrow garage. You can check out the schematic at http://www.nebraska.edu/docs/board/agen ... -30-15.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; pg. 36

Page 40 of this document also shows a lot of info about the property on Center Street.

[Coyote]

I am not sure they are going to tear out the hill that supports 66th street. The plan shows a very narrow garage. You can check out the schematic at http://www.nebraska.edu/docs/board/agen ... -30-15.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; pg. 36

Page 40 of this document also shows a lot of info about the property on Center Street.

I saw that and thought that someone did a [expletive] poor job of overlaying those plans on that map, and I thought of trying to correct it... But then I had a Founders Imperial Stout and thought better of it...

[bldgengineer2015]

Terracon was on site yesterday and today doing geotechnical testing for the new dorms and parking structure. Ground breaking may not be far off.

[skinzfan23]

Here is the rendering of the proposed 6-story parking garage at on the southeast corner of 67th and Pacific.

UNO Parking Garage by Scott Stronck, on Flickr

Also here is the proposed student housing addition next to Scott Hall @ 67th and Pine:

UNO Student Housing by Scott Stronck, on Flickr

UNO Student Housing 2 by Scott Stronck, on Flickr

There are also more rendering and site plans here:

http://www.ketv.com/blob/view/-/3336669 ... -plans.pdf

[Brad]

Wow, look at all those solar panels!

[iamjacobm]

Wow, look at all those solar panels!

Was going to say the same thing! Looks like an Wesome addition to campus plus that massive garage will hopfully let them do something with all the surface parking on South Campus.

[skinzfan23]

Unfortunately there are some neighbors who are opposed to the parking garage:

New UNO parking garage plans draw complaints from Aksarben residents

Sounds like residents were told it is a done deal though and the project is moving forward.

[iamjacobm]

How much would that garage even be seen above the elevation change? That is a massive hill.