Blue and Gold Illustrated

UNDER THE DOME Five Questions With … ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT AND UNIVERSITY ARCHITECT DOUG MARSH Doug Marsh, a South Bend native and 1982 graduate of Notre Dame, joined the university's staff in 1995. He oversees many university efforts in design and construction, including the Campus Crossroads project. Blue & Gold Illustrated: What are some of the basic aspects your job entails? Marsh: "I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with a highly talented and dedicated team committed to the university's campus planning, design, construction, utilities and maintenance mission. "In these stewardship roles, we oversee campus development and care of and reinvestment in existing facilities while reliably providing essential services, such as energy and water, to about 10 million square feet and 1,265 acres of campus each and every day." Blue & Gold Illustrated: What are the logistics that go into the Campus Cross- roads project, like when there are also home football games going on? Marsh: "Preparing to switch over the stadium setting from a massive construc- tion site to a venue that will welcome over 80,000 fans on game-day Saturdays has gone remarkably well. "The key to its success was to begin early — we mapped out the logistics plan well over a year ago — and invite all the key stakeholders to participate from the outset." Blue & Gold Illustrated: Are there any projects in the works after the Campus Crossroads projected is completed? Marsh: "When the buildings open for use in 2017, the university will have also commissioned two new un- dergraduate residence halls, a new molecular research building (McCourtney Hall), Jenkins Hall, Nanovic Hall, and a boathouse on the St. Joseph River. We will have also continued the staged renovations to the Hesburgh Library. In addition, we will have continued our renewal of many existing facilities such as residence halls and other long-serving campus facilities. "We currently are planning the Walsh School of Architecture, which we hope to be under construction by then." Blue & Gold Illustrated: What are some challenges that accompany your position? Marsh: "We are ever-mindful that Notre Dame is not only a place of learning and research, it is also a home to thousands of students, faculty, staff and clergy. Further, it is a place of pilgrimage to legions of people from across the globe. "So we view everyone on campus for whatever purpose as our customer, and we are committed to serve them with excellence and the desire to exceed their expectations. Every day is different and we must expect the unexpected and be prepared to respond. It is a very exciting role." Blue & Gold Illustrated: Which project that you've been associated with at Notre Dame are you most proud of and why? Marsh: "I am so grateful to have served Notre Dame during the last 20 years, especially in an era which has seen significant campus growth and change. I have enjoyed the countless collaborations with colleagues here at the university whose vision inspired the development of the projects entrusted to us. "Relationships I share with my colleagues here at Notre Dame, many of which formed during these projects, blossomed into great friendships and fill me with the greatest sense of satisfaction." — Jordan Wells MARSH

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