Last week, Provost Nariman Farvardin opened his address to the University Senate with a quote from architect and city planner Daniel Burnham, the man who planned much of the city of Chicago. "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood," he said, and he went on to explain how this embodies his philosophy for the committee developing the university's new strategic plan. Does he know, by the way, that Burnham was probably paraphrasing Machiavelli's original statement, "Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul?"
I applaud Farvardin for his boldness - Any task as monumental as planning the university's long-term future requires innovation and confidence. But I would remind him of a German proverb that even Daniel Burnham would have agreed with: The devil is in the details. As Farvardin spoke of big picture ideas for the university's future, from its ranking as an undergraduate institution to its interaction with the surrounding neighborhoods, I was tempted to hold up a copy of last week's Diamondback and shout, "How can you talk about long-term goals when you won't be able to provide housing for hundreds of, if not a thousand, sophomores next year?"
The university has growing pains. This is not surprising; all of the Washington area is experiencing the same thing. Our own National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education estimates that two million people and 1.6 million new jobs will move into the Washington area during the next 23 years. So believe it or not, the traffic will get worse. The Metro rail and bus systems are in dire need of expansion. Housing prices are sky high with no sign of relief and no alternative options. The problems are identical whether we are talking about the university, Prince George's County or the state as a whole.
Luckily, we are better off than the local and regional governments when it comes to the challenges of rapid growth. We have control over the size of our student population. We have the ability to build more housing, develop the surrounding community into a pleasant place to live and provide ample public transportation. We have the power; now we need the inclination.
Farvardin mentioned that the committee is open to any suggestions from the entire university community. I have but one: Focus on the basics. We all want a university that fosters a creative, dynamic and productive academic environment. We all want our graduates to succeed for decades to come, and ultimately, we want others to recognize the quality of the university's experience and express it through the national rankings. But in order to achieve that, we need to address the basic needs of the campus, such as housing, transportation and community development. If we create an environment where we don't have to worry about crime, where we can easily interact with metropolitan Washington and where we can live without being rent-poor, then we can attract the top students, faculty and staff. Once we do that, the rest will take care of itself. Like plants in a well-tended garden, faculty and students in a safe, pleasant and affordable environment will become a flourishing academic community.
When the strategic planning committee begins brainstorming, they need to look at issues such as housing and transportation. They should answer questions as basic as these: How do we get the Purple Line to move forward? How do we make sure it stops on the campus? Is it better to build a new tower in Byrd Stadium, or should we devote resources to building more undergraduate housing? How can we prevent crime around the campus so students and faculty can feel safe working into the night?
These are mundane questions, but they will profoundly influence the campus environment and strongly determine the school's course over the next decade.
Burnham did indeed make big plans for the city of Chicago, but his buildings were built one beam at a time.
Danny Rogers is a graduate student in the chemical physics program. He can be reached at drogers2@umd.edu.
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