Long-term transformation plan supports university’s strategic vision for becoming a sustainable academy
ROCHESTER, MI – August 18, 2025 – Arcadis, a global leader in intelligence-driven sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets, today announced the completion and release of the 2035 Campus Plan for Oakland University (OU), which was unanimously approved by the OU Board of Trustees in late spring of this year. The project delivers a digital roadmap of campus improvements, addressing key challenges such as enrollment, retention, student experience, sustainability, academic success, infrastructure, walkability, and safety.
Rooted in OU’s Strategic Vision 2030, the plan outlines priorities around academic excellence, sustainability, energy, housing and dining, research growth, and community engagement. By engaging a cross-section of campus stakeholders, faculty, and thousands of students to create a living document and deploy a custom digital dashboard tool, OU and Arcadis laid the foundation for the plan to remain adaptive to avoid the datedness of previous campus strategies.
The Arcadis team provided expertise across several key deliverables within the plan including:
- Indigenous land advisory to integrate cultural stewardship into the campus plan, Arcadis collaborated with local Indigenous communities.
- Space utilization analysis to evaluate existing campus spaces to optimize their use, addressing efficient and effective deployment of university resources.
- Benchmarking effort against other schools and facilities of similar size to identify best practices and solutions to enhance campus operations and student experience.
- Programming and operational analysis to align with strategic goals, fostering an environment that supports academic and research excellence.
- Development of a custom digital dashboard tool to track and manage the plan’s progress in real-time, enabling data-driven decision making and adaptive strategies.
- Operation and capital asset modeling to evaluate and optimize the university’s existing assets.
Kyle Schertzing, Education Group Practice Manager at Arcadis, said: “Our team brought local, national, and international expertise to support Oakland University’s vision. We worked closely with OU to ensure their campus plan is robust, resilient, flexible, and uniquely tailored to their needs. OU now has a strategic framework that can adapt to future challenges.”
Jonathan Steele, Business Unit Director, West US and Mexico, at Arcadis, said: “During a time of rapid change, higher education institutions need campus plans that are not only comprehensive but also purposeful and built to withstand change while driving long-term value. Arcadis is proud to have collaborated with Oakland University to deliver innovative solutions that empower academic success.”
The Comprehensive Campus Plan 2035 will ensure Oakland University remains one of Michigan's most valued higher education institutions, enhancing wellness, student life, and community engagement.
