Comprehensive Facilities Plan to be presented Nov. 1 

Tuesday, November 1 | 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.| Comstock Memorial Union Sun Garden Lounge 

JLG Architects, one of the country’s architectural giants and Best Places to Work, will present MSUM’s Comprehensive Facilities Plan on Tuesday, November 1 in the Comstock Memorial Union Sun Garden Lounge. The format will include a brief overview of the plan at 11:15 a.m., 12:15 p.m., and 1:15 p.m. The same information will be presented each time.   

MSUM partnered with JLG Architects to craft a dynamic vision for the university that will guide the transformation of our physical campus and create stronger connections to the Moorhead community. The plan focuses on intuitive campus design that responds to the changing landscape of education, respects the environment, supports experiential learning, and delivers flexibility in course delivery.   

Key Campus Goals & Performance Indicators 

The final plan is a 20-year world class, globally innovative vision that “right sizes” the campus for ideal enrollment. The November 1 presentation will dive deep into the following campus goals and key indicators.  

Steering Committee, Facilities, Grounds and Safety Committee  

The Comprehensive Facilities Plan is a year-long project that included input and discussion with hundreds of individuals and dozens of stakeholder groups.  

“I am very excited to implement the updated Comprehensive Facilities Plan for our University and I appreciate all of the time and effort that have gone into the process from our steering committee and many others,” said Brenda Norris, MSUM Executive Director of Facilities Management and Steering Committee Chair. 

The following sub-committee members met during 2021-2022. 

  • Brenda Norris, Executive Director of Facilities Management and Steering Committee Chair 
  • Jean Hollaar, Vice President Finance & Administration 
  • Arrick Jackson, Provost & Senior Vice President Academic Affairs  
  • Brenda Amenson-Hill, Vice President Enrollment Management & Student Affairs  
  • Gary Haugo, Vice President University Advancement  
  • Sam Groff, Director of Information Technology Infrastructure  
  • Chad Markuson, Athletics Director  
  • Heather Phillips, Director of Residential Life  
  • Kyle Kopacek, Interim Building and Grounds Maintenance Foreman  
  • Jim Gemar, Professor, Health & Human Performance  
  • Paul Sando, Professor, Anthropology & Earth Science  
  • Anthony Bormann, Outreach Coordinator, College of Science, Health & the Environment  
  • Chad Kraft, Software Engineer   
  • Joy Lindell, OAS Intermediate, Computer Science & Information Systems Department & School of Communication & Journalism  
  • Mark Thompson, General Maintenance Worker  
  • Chuck Eade, Director, Accessibility Resources  
  • Garret Harinen, Student  
  • Kari Peterson, Director, Recreation & Wellness  
  • Derrick LaPoint, CEO, Downtown Moorhead, Inc.  
  • Michelle Gerner, Capital Planning Analyst, System Office  

The updated Comprehensive Facilities Plan is required as part of Board of Trustees’ policy, “all Minnesota State campuses are obligated to maintain an approved comprehensive facilities plan for purposes of fulfilling the missions of teaching and public service and to identify the system’s emerging capital improvement priorities. A five-year updating cycle has been established to maintain and create short-term and long-term visions for campuses.” 

In short, all capital project requests are supposed to be identified in the campus’s most recent comprehensive facilities plan in order to be considered for State legislature-approved funding.