University of Toledo Campus Master Plan

The University of Toledo embarked on a major transformation nearly a decade ago, working with SmithGroup to craft and implement a campus master plan that would align with the university's goals to consolidate its assets, refocus its academic and research programs and enhance student life. Since 2016, the university has implemented several key plan recommendations, including merging three campuses into two and shedding more than 1.3M GSF of surplus facilities, exceeding its goal of a 15-percent overall space reduction. With its plan update, the university continues its ethos of spatial, fiscal and academic resilience.  

The update identifies additional strategies for optimizing the physical space on campus, responding to a thorough academic restructuring the university started in 2023. It invests in a new Science building and a new One-Stop Center on the main campus, reinvigorating its historic Centennial Mall and campus core, while razing inefficient and outdated facilities. It unites the university's allied health programs on the nearby Health Science campus, home to the University of Toledo Medical Center and associated clinics. SmithGroup continues to partner with UToledo to analyze and implement specific space allocation recommendations on both campuses, continuously improving the institution’s focus and efficiency. 

Investment in STEM and Health programs is a hallmark of the updated plan. The new Science building on the main campus brings together undergraduate and graduate science programs, providing classroom, lab and research areas suited for today's science learning. It replaces two outdated, oversized buildings, giving new prominence to future-forward STEM-H education and research. Pharmacy and other allied health programs move to UToledo's Health Science campus, where students benefit from on-site training at the University of Toledo Medical Center, a state-of-the-art Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center. A new interdisciplinary student hub on the Health Science campus repurposes administrative space to provide a social gathering/relaxation area for students between classes, labs and clinical rotations.  

It relocates support services from Rocket Hall, a converted strip mall at the campus edge, to a more functional, efficient and attractive facility at the main campus entrance, contributing to a lively, human-scale campus core. Plan recommendations are expected to be phased in over the next five years. 

From the last decade to the next, even amid shifts in the economy and changes in university leadership, the University of Toledo has adhered to its campus master plan with unwavering commitment and clear vision. It will continue to reap the rewards with the latest plan update, creating a stronger and more resilient university for generations to come.