According to an email from Tech President Lawrence Schovanec, the goal of the plan was to establish guiding principles for future projects on Tech's campus through collaboration with architects from the firm DumontJanks.
Texas Tech Vice Provost Cindy Akers co-chaired the Strategic Alignment Committee for the project.
"I think there's a misconception at first that this entire committee was, this is what we're going to do, and this is a step by step process, because that's really not what it was," Akers said. "It is really there to help us make decisions."
Tech’s Associate Vice President Sean Childers co-chaired the committee alongside Akers. He said that Tech has aspirations to join the Association of American Universities.
"We wanted to step back and really take a breath and say, 'Okay, what are we doing?' not only on facilities, transit, and parking, but we also included research, academics, radar rooms, and some classroom support to really bolster all of those different areas and elevate those to that next level," Childers said.
While the concepts remain preliminary, the proposals suggest significant changes after a yearlong analysis of student and staff movement patterns.
One key finding is the struggle students face when navigating campus during the 10-minute exchange period between classes.
The summary indicates that the campus was initially designed along a north-south axis, but expansion has followed an east-west trend, which has led to conflicts between vehicles looking for parking and pedestrian routes.
To address this, four East-West corridors have been proposed. The committee couldn’t confirm if bicycles and lime scooters will be allowed on these pathways.
“The exciting thing is this wasn't an outside person coming in and telling us this. They came in and received data from our faculty, our students, and our staff; everyone had an opportunity to provide information, and this is the data that came out," Akers said.
The recommendations also include removing all surface parking lots to create an additional 33 percent of green space, with parking garages compensating for the loss.
Childers noted that the design of these garages would emphasize safety, considering the potential for parking structures to become hotspots for crime.
"We have cameras all the way through. There is extensive lighting on the interior and exterior of that. There is a blue light phone, I believe, within and on the exterior of that," Childers said. “So when you introduce a parking garage, there are elements of safety and security that you have to build into it.”
In 2024, Texas Tech celebrated its centennial. This study analyzed its initial century with the explicit aim of informing and enhancing its strategic direction for the subsequent 100 years.
To view campus crime statistics with comparisons to past years, view our breakdown of the 2024 Texas Tech University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report here.