Analysis of the University of the District of Columbia's Consolidated Master Plan Development

Representatives of the University of the District of Columbia are convinced of the necessity for two campuses because further expansion is not practical at the Van Ness campus. They also asserted that it is essential for students attending the Colleges of Liberal and Fine Arts and Business and Public Management to have access to cultural resources, government agencies, and the business community in the downtown area. Greater emphasis will be placed on the graduate program, and officials felt that, with increased effort and new programs, a higher percentage of graduate students will be achieved. Preliminary results of a telephone survey were used to demonstrate that there is a sizable number of potential new enrollees in the city, and it was estimated that the university could attain an enrollment ranging from 12,000 to 22,000 full-time equivalent students. Since uncertainty exists regarding future enrollments, further facility development activity should be deferred pending completion of the university's master plan and reevaluation of its enrollment prospects. In preparing its master plan, the university should demonstrate that its proposed construction program cannot be modified to include renovation of existing owned facilities and provide for construction of new facilities at the Mount Vernon Square campus tailored to meet enrollment requirements not met by the Van Ness campus or existing facilities.