News        from ABAC

Michael D. Chason Director of Public Relations ABAC 30 -- 2802 Moore Highway Tifton, GA 31793-2601 Phone 229-391-5055 Fax 229-391-5056 mchason@abac.edu

IMMEDIATE JANUARY 13, 2006

MASTER PLAN OUTLINES FUTURE FOR ABAC CAMPUS

TIFTON—New buildings, additional parking, and more housing for students are key components of the Master Plan for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Interim President Tom Call presented the plan to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia on Jan. 10. Regent Julie Hunt of Tifton said the plan was well received.

“Obviously, a lot of thought and preparation went into this plan, and the ABAC folks did a great job with the presentation,” Hunt said.

Sasaki Associates from Boston, Mass., served as the consultant on the plan, which took almost two years to complete.

“We had a lot of campus and community involvement into the establishment of the Master Plan,” Call said. “The ABAC faculty, staff, alumni, and the ABAC Foundation, along with local legislators, gave us input.”

Director of Public Relations Mike Chason, who chaired the Master Plan Committee, said the plan is “a road map to the future for the physical face of the campus.”

Chason said approval by the Regents was necessary because any future buildings on the campus must be in the Master Plan to be approved by the Regents.

With the Health Sciences Building coming on-line in August, the plan offers impetus for several other gigantic projects including a science-technology building on the former site of Branch, Mitchell, and Fulwood dormitories, a field for the new women’s intercollegiate soccer program, new student housing on the north side of Lake Baldwin, and moving the physical plant to the north end of the campus on Moore Highway.

One of the most interesting aspects of the plan calls for a new Perimeter Road to be constructed on the north side of the Yow Building which will connect with the existing Perimeter Road west of the baseball field.

Sasaki provided two scenarios, one for an enrollment of 6,000 students, and the other for a long range enrollment of 10,000 students. Chason said at the present growth rate, ABAC could have 6,000 students by 2020.

“State College status could push us beyond that toward the 10,000 range that Sasaki suggested,” Chason said. “In either case, ABAC will need additional classroom buildings, more student housing, additional parking, and a new student center.”

The plan also calls for another building for the ABAC on the Square campus in Moultrie, an objective that the ABAC Foundation is now finalizing.

“These are the projects that we are currently pursuing for ABAC’s growth in order to serve our students, faculty, and staff appropriately and comfortably,” Call said. “We know we will grow, and we want to be sure that we can accommodate everyone throughout that growth.”

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