On 30 May, the Executive Board accepted a proposed decision for the University’s long-term housing strategy. This strategy honours the University’s ambition of locating all education and research-related facilities at the O&O square. This plan includes the relocation of the Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) to the Citadel and the move of cluster Health into the Technohal. All of this proceeds through carefully considered and responsible investments.
In order to properly estimate the full housing need on the campus and take all perspectives into account, the Board asked a project group and a steering committee to draw up a Long-Term Housing Strategy that includes a good representation of both the primary process and supporting staff. In this process, various UT departments offered input through representatives of faculties and support services and during meetings with the University Education Committee (UCO), University Management Council with all the managing directors (UCB), the Executive Board with the Deans (CvB-D) and the Student Union. On 29 June the Board will discuss the housing strategy of the UT with the University Council and the Supervisory Board.
This housing strategy provides the context to implement the strategic decisions made by the Board, to profile cluster Health and to locate ITC on the campus to create more synergy and internationalization.
Basic principles for the Long-Term Housing Strategy
Vision 2020 states that the campus must become an ideal breeding ground for breakthroughs in the area of education and research and for more entrepreneurship. On and around campus there will be plenty of scope for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship, producing a strong brand that attracts both Dutch and international students, academics and support staff. The campus will also be a driving force for regional innovation.
A campus that is prepared for the future in terms of the quantity and quality of its facilities and that contributes to the objective to reach and maintain a number of at least 10,000 students. For this reason, it is important that campus housing is flexible, in order to constantly meet changing needs in terms of education, research, entrepreneurship, IT developments, old and new partnerships and group formation. The campus is an international learning and working environment. Our housing should allow people to meet and connect. This will help us enhance the University’s visibility and profile.
The dynamic nature of these factors demands informed choices: which real estate initiatives do we take, what are our priorities and at what point in time should something be done? In addition to the Master Plan of the past 10 years, the new housing strategy will provide the context for decisions to be made in the next 10 years.
Strategy outline
The Board gave the order to outline various strategies that would offer the greatest ‘value for money’ that fit the University’s finances and with unchanged housing rates. This resulted in two strategies. Strategy 1 states that the ITC is to be located at the entrance to the international campus in the Spiegel building and that the Health cluster will relocate to the Technohal. Strategy 2 suggests that the ITC and the Health cluster both move to the Education and Research area called O&O.
In view of substantive considerations, the Board has expressed a preference for strategy number 2 although it would require more in terms of investments than the first strategy. This strategy is best suited to Vision 2020 and is the most flexible and sustainable choice in the long-term that offers the best ‘value for money’. Employees from various departments of the University have spoken with the Board and all have expressed a preference for this strategy.
Impact of the LTSH
For the University of Twente, the LTSH’s second strategy will require a planned investment of 62 million euro over the next ten years. The relocation of the health cluster to the Technohal and the housing of ITC at the O&O square is a priority and the housing strategy gives an accurate analysis of the financial consequences. The university has sufficient possibilities to make these investments.
The Board will meet with the University Council and the Supervisory Board on 29 June to discuss the housing strategy. The Board will keep an open mind until then and strategy 1 will still be considered an option.
