The sun shining through trees on campus

Master Plan

We are pleased to share our new Master Plan, unveiled in February 2020, which was developed over the last several months by the national, award-winning design firm SmithGroup. Many on campus, along with key community stakeholders, participated in this collaborative process.

To deliver on our promise for the future, we must ensure that space planning aligns with our strategic direction. We have developed a physical growth plan for USC Upstate that will allow us to build facilities to accommodate projected enrollment growth and new programs. The plan is intended to be implemented over an extensive period of time, between five and 20 years, and includes short-, mid-, and long-term projects. The proposed plan will enhance the natural topography of our 330-acre campus — leveraging landscaping and water features — while placing buildings in locations that will maximize the campus experience for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Our facilities must be innovative, flexible and functional. We must be prepared to adapt and be responsive to best practices and trends in higher education. We must balance aspirations and strategic improvements to meet current and future student needs. The resulting plan provides a blueprint and represents the culmination of the hard work of many who take pride in USC Upstate and what it will become.

The video above provides a bird’s-eye view of our collective vision for the future — an illustration of our potential to continue to grow and enhance even further our commitment to serve the citizens of the Upstate region and beyond. You’ll see a number of new buildings, including a much-needed annex for the Library and an expansion of the Olin B. Sansbury, Jr. Campus Life Center, both of which would provide critical gathering spaces for our students.

The proposed plan includes a new Nursing building for our Mary Black School of Nursing, one of the largest programs in the state. We imagine this building being completed in partnership with the health care providers who employ so many of our nursing graduates. You’ll see dedicated Alumni and Athletic Performance Centers, and a Convocation Center that could serve as an asset to the entire county, as well as provide the university with an essential meeting and event venue. Again, we envision large-scale projects like a Convocation Center to be constructed in partnership with state, county and corporate leaders.

Implementation of the Master Plan and timing of new projects are dependent on a number of variables, including state and private funding support. This plan will require continued collaboration among university, community and government leaders. The work we have done together over these last few years positions the university well to realize the vision.