Butler charting campus of the future
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowFollowing a successful fundraising campaign, Butler University is looking to the future. The Butler Beyond campaign raised $263 million, surpassing its stretch goal of $250 million to become the largest campaign in the school’s history. The university is now developing a campus master plan that it says will reflect the new realities of higher education in a post-pandemic world.
In an interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Butler President James Danko says demographic shifts mean the campus of the future will look differently when it comes to things like traditional, on-campus living.
“We will continue to be strong in that, but we also are looking at the future in terms of other forms of education, whether its graduate programs, certificate programs,” said Danko. “We have a number of partnerships now with corporations in the area where we’re providing executive-level education, and distance education – a big push towards that.”
Danko says while the future was murky during the early days of the pandemic, which began more than two years ago, the university now has a clear picture of the future it wants to create for its students, faculty and community.
“I talk about, by the year 2030, having an equal amount of educational efforts outside of undergrad residential as we do with undergrad residential.”
Danko says there will also be visible physical changes to campus as part of the Butler Gateway project.
“We’re looking at even renovating the front of Hinkle [Fieldhouse] in the next campaign,” said Danko. “Trying to find space for other entities, including, as you mentioned, potentially a boutique hotel of some sort on campus. So just trying to really make the entry ways into our campus, the perimeter of our campus, really rich and really make great connections to elevate this entire region.”
Danko says the changes are something the university has been talking about for a long time.
“I’m really focusing the energy and time on that moving forward,” he said.
You can connect to more information about the university and its campus projects by clicking here.