Southeastern NEWS
                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           SLU 10880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504-549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
                                           
    Date: February 9, 2001
      Contact:                           Rene Abadie     14 

SOUTHEASTERN'S MASTER PLAN HONORED BY LOUISIANA CHAPTER
OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS

     HAMMOND   Southeastern Louisiana University's campus master plan has been recognized
with an Honor Award by the Louisiana Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
     The plan received one of three such awards   the second level in the chapter's awards program  
and was the only planning project to be cited.  The plan was developed by Foresite, a joint
venture
between Holly & Smith Architects of Hammond and Architects Southwest of Lafayette.
     The award was presented to Southeastern officials by J. David Brinson, president of AIA
Louisiana, who noted that this was the first award to be given by the chapter in the category of
planning.
Winners in the competition are selected by a jury of architects.
     "Typically, most such awards are presented for facilities or buildings, so it's very unusual for
honors to be given for planning projects," said Southeastern Facility Planning Director Michael
Rickenbaker.
     The master plan is the product of a comprehensive study of the university's land use at its
Hammond campus. As part of this study, the university last year conducted a week-long
workshop   a
"charrette"   involving focus groups that included Southeastern administrators, faculty and
students; city
and parish officials; and adjacent property owners.
     "In this plan, we tried to capture an identity and image of Southeastern that's grounded in the
history of the university with a view to future, long term needs," said Michael Holly of Holly &
Smith
Architects. In the new design, the focus of the campus is shifted from the so-called "historic
district" at
the south end of the campus to a more centrally located quadrangle. The plan proposes sites for
new
buildings, outlines general regulating guidelines for future construction, and focuses on needs
such as
parking, reforestation and landscaping. Included in the general design are "pocket parks," rest
areas
located at strategic pedestrian paths.
     "Each quadrant of the campus has its own district, and each district has its own
requirements and
characteristics," Holly said. "That was the challenge in developing the plan."
     "Southeastern now has a focus on the future of our physical plant," Rickenbaker said, "that
allows us to move forward with organization and forethought."
                             -SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsp01.htm