Thus, though the eleven academic building are of primary concern here, in some sense the entire physical plant can be considered as supporting the curriculum. Colgate has developed a system of continual monitoring and upgrading of facilities needed for all operations within the institution. The review initially falls on all budget directors annually as they make requests to expand facilities as well as to maintain and improve them. Part of the budgetary decision process involves choosing from among all these requests those capital projects that are most appropriate for the next year and projecting how long those that must be deferred will wait. It does not include expenditures classified as pertaining to technology, athletics, or other aspects of student life.
Large items are the building or major renovations of the academic buildings and libraries.
Coordinating fund-raising with the scheduling of capital projects is important for these more expensive projects. Preservation, prudence, and safety have been the guiding principles of the capital budgetary process. A tour of the academic buildings as well as of the student residences and athletic facilities will show the long-term impact of the institutional commitment to taking good care of the physical plant. This commitment has enabled students and faculty as well as administrators to focus on the education of students and research and scholarship, the activities that are crucial to Colgate's mission. There was, of course, the necessity of accommodating the needs of the larger student body and faculty.