HSC kicks off campus planning process
Bill Youngblood
Those are questions under consideration by an executive planning committee charged with developing a Health Sciences Campus Master Plan for the future. The committee kicked off their planning process Jan. 8.
"The Health Sciences Campus is at an important juncture as USC works to acquire the two private hospitals, grow the clinical enterprise, expand research and educational programs and more," explained Curt Williams, vice president, campus development and facilities management. "The university will benefit from a strategic planning study that identifies critical needs and plans for future growth, with an eye toward the best locations for various functions."
Williams added that a successful master plan can enhance the academic mission of the university as well as lead to improved patient/visitor satisfaction for clinical services and in turn positively impact the operations and profitability of the clinical enterprise.
Laurie Stone, program director for capital construction and university counsel, who is leading the planning process, explained that the final master plan—which could take two years to develop—will reflect both the needs of USC units, as well as opportunities for optimal utilization of existing buildings and available land.
In their initial discussion, committee members expressed a broad range of current needs and ideas for the future. Among those:
• improved services for students, including student housing
• recreational/exercise facilities
• food service amenities for patients, visitors and guests
• increased dry lab space for translational research
• increased office space for administrative functions
• additional parking and improved circulation around campus
• a visitors center/conference center facility.
Vice Provost Mitch Creem, who is leading the transition process toward acquisition of the two private hospitals, said that creating a safe and inviting environment for students, patients and their families should be a priority in campus development.
Keck School of Medicine Chief Operating Officer Coreen Rodgers emphasized the importance of developing additional space for dry research labs for translational research and additional office space for administrative functions.
Preparation of the master plan will involve assistance from consultants such as architects and traffic engineers.
University Architect Jon Soffa commented that the process also will examine HSC's aging buildings and formulate recommendations for demolishing or repurposing for other uses. Landscaping across and around the campus also will be studied.
What can be accomplished with a campus master plan?
• Develop a strategic planning framework for future growth of the campus as it relates to: academic, clinical, research missions; campus life; and BioMedTech Park uses.
• Identify development opportunities for growth on land currently owned by USC.
• Identify major drivers for future campus development.
• Survey existing building resources as to historic value and functional capacity to support future campus space needs.
• Identify ways to strengthen the service and integration of the University Hospital and Norris Cancer Hospital into the campus fabric.
• Identify opportunities to improve the physical identity for the Health Sciences Campus with recognizable entries and gateways, improved wayfinding, branding and signage.
• Identify ways to improve resources and management of USC parking and transportation systems, including coordination with publicly owned and operated systems.
• Identify potential amenities that will serve the campus community, including students, faculty, staff, patients, visitors and tenants, as well as the neighboring community.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen pedestrian linkages between HSC and LAC+USC facilities.
• Extend and enhance a safe, attractive, sustainable campus and neighboring urban community.
• Identify ways to encourage public and private non-university investment in the proposed BioMedTech Park.
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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