Environments for Growth to Thrive

Through a series of workshops, a consensus vision for how Dixie State College will grow to service the community was generated. This collaborative, inclusive process that included stakeholders from the College (students, faculty, staff, and administration), Washington County, surrounding city representatives, neighbors, local business representatives, and other interested parties, and generated relevant topics that were addressed in the process and study. The discussions fostered an atmosphere of cooperation and respect which led to a collegial working relationship in which many issues were raised and resolved. The first workshop consisted of an intensive three-day session wherein the Design Team listened to and queried campus stakeholders from every department, as well as a separate session with community leaders. Participants voiced their goals, complaints, and aspirations for what Dixie State College is and what it could become. From this, the Design Team generated some alternative approaches to the impending growth. With area comparisons from peer institutions and Washington County projections, the magnitude of anticipated growth of the College was established with the required areas to accommodate that growth. The second workshop included two days of discussions centered around development strategies to accommodate campus growth, transit options, community partnerships, opportunity zones of possible growth, and student life concerns. The outcome of this second workshop was a consensus-based decision encouraging greater densities on the campus. Teamed with Sasaki.