Student-centric Project Brings New Vision to Prescott’s Campus
On May 4, 2023,Prescott College commemorated recent campus revitalizations and enhancements with a ribbon cutting ceremony that brought the community together at 5:00 p.m. in the area adjacent to the new Anne Dorman Center at Manzanita Hall.
Starting in January 2022, President Barbara Morris engaged Director of ECOSA Institute Tony Brown and his Psychology of Space class, ECOSA faculty and Peter Sherman, Faculty and the Space Committee to start the work needed to develop a Facilities Master of the Prescott Campus. Some of the questions posed included: 1) How do we create a campus that places students in the center? 2) How do we make campus more comfortable for students? 3) How do we create more vibrancy on campus? 4) Should administration be in the center of campus? 5) How many faculty and staff are on campus? 6) Who are they, where are they located? 7) How are current classrooms used – are they the right size and do we have the right quantity?
The resulting plan recommended the community to think about the campus in three zones – The Learning Zone, The Activities Zone, and The Administrative Zone. While there is some overlap of functions between the learning and the administrative zones, the focus of each zone should convey the importance of students and the student experience.
Manzanita Hall was reimagined as the student heart of the campus and the full remodel of this facility was made possible through a generous donation from Anne Dorman ’74 and Annette Tracy.
“Anne has been unswervingly generous to Prescott College over many years. She has shared her time, energy, passion, and money as a student, alumna, and Board member,” stated Former Prescott College Trustee Dave Meeks. “There has never been a time when Anne has not stepped up to an opportunity or challenge to make a difference in the future of the College. It is entirely fitting to name the Manzanita Building in honor of Anne’s commitment to deliver quality and relevance to the Prescott College student experience.”
The Learning Zone is located south of W. Sheldon and east of Butte Creek. The buildings in this zone will be student learning/services focused, including: Classrooms, Faculty Offices, ECOSA and Art studios, Library, Learning Commons, Cafe, Student Services /One-Stop, Mailroom, IT, and Support Services.
The Activity Zone is located west of Butte Creek and will be student living and activity focused, including: The Villages, The Cottages, Student Clubs, and Activities
The Administrative/Office Zone is located north of W. Sheldon and east of Butte Creek. The zone will be focused as named (although because of building availability in the Learning Zone, several classrooms will remain) and include: Administrative offices, Faculty offices, Several classrooms, and Science labs.