Citing a wide range of problems with the spread out nature of the UAF campus, the UAF Master Planning Committee recently unveiled its newest strategic plan for UAF.

Under the MPC's newest plan, every building on campus would be razed, followed by a massive excavation project, a flattening out of College Hill. Finally, a new and enlarged version of the Gruening Building would be built in its place.

The new building, also called the Gruening Mother Ship, would be a cube, nearly four miles per side, similar to the infamous Borg spacecraft on Star Trek: The Next Generation. It would be the biggest building ever built on Earth, and by a large margin. All departments and facilities would be within the giant building, and it would house all students wishing to live "in campus." In addition, the building would contain all of the parks, plazas, and historic places currently on campus, including the Circle of Flags and Constitution Hall, and would add a giant Ferris wheel to the list of attractions at UAF.

The MPC defended its extravagant plan in detail. "Erecting a structure of this size would solve many of the problems faced with the current UAF campus, first and foremost, by eliminating roads. Roads are expensive to maintain and lead to traffic accidents. Also, building maintenance would be simpler, with only one building to maintain. Last, but not least, this would alleviate space shortages on campus once and for all, allowing virtually unlimited space for all departments."

The new building would have an estimated floor space approximately 27,000 times greater than all of UAF's current buildings combined. With nearly 1,500 floors, each covering 16 square miles, floor space would be measured in miles, not feet. An underground parking garage would provide space for up to 150,000 vehicles, which is approximately twice the estimated number of cars in Interior Alaska.

The power plant, an inefficient and outdated coal-fueled design, would be replaced with a series of nuclear reactors in the center of the building, but deep underground. These reactors, the only source available to power such a large building, would also provide electricity to the rest of Alaska with a grid-sharing arrangement.

Everything would be greatly enlarged in the new building. UAF's current history department is 10 offices in one corner of a single floor in the current Gruening Building, but in the new plan, it would enjoy a vastly larger area. Professor John Heaton remarked that, "this new building would greatly enhance our ability to do our jobs."

The roof of the building would consist largely of open area, with trees and other flora planted throughout. Two structures would dominate the area, however. The Chancellor's House, on the east side, would be a new, 12-story mansion with dozens of rooms for entertaining guests, and a state-of-the-art sewage system. On the west side of the roof, a series of satellite dishes and telescopes would be installed, facilitating enhanced astronomy research.

How would this giant building be paid for? The MPC has asked the State Legislature for funding, but since the estimated cost of the building is approximately 17 times the State of Alaska's annual budget, funding will have to be found elsewhere. "We are thinking about a student bond, similar to how the current SRC is funded," said an MPC member, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We estimate that a student fee of $17,500 per credit will have to be charged for approximately 950 years to pay off the construction costs of the building. We are sure, though, that the students will be more than willing to support the program if we give them free popcorn, mugs with our logo, and T-shirts."