THE PLANNER
Robert Clossin ’ 95
WHEN ROBERT CLOSSIN came back to work on campus , his first project was the construction of Regents parking lot . What he ’ s working on now may well make such a thing obsolete . “ We ’ re always thinking about the future ,” he says . “ We think about where will we be 20 , even 50 years from now , with not just the light rail coming but the advances in ridesharing and driverless cars , the needs of future students and community partners — we take all this and more into account when mapping out the future .”
Now as director of campus planning , Clossin has a unique perspective on how the campus has evolved from his classroom days . “ I was a commuter student here ," he says , " at a time when there was little as far as student life . The student experience now is amazing to me , and it reinforces the work we do in creating a campus that is truly coming to life .”
Clossin initially had sights set on architecture at Warren College . But the decision to go into urban studies and planning expanded his horizons in ways he had never considered . “ The education I received at UC San Diego was very broad and theoretical — exactly the perspective you have to have as a planner .”
You also need a lot of patience — take the light rail , for instance : “ We ’ ve been planning for it since my first day , over two decades ago ,” he says . “ It ’ s gone through countless concepts and iterations : Where does it go ? Can we build tunnels ? Who will it impact and how ? After years upon years of discussions and meetings , it ’ s amazing to see it happening .”
Today , campus is about 70 percent built out , with more projects on the horizon . “ I ’ ll often hear , ‘ You ’ re not going to recognize the campus ,’” he says . “ But my goal is to enhance the campus , and make it even more recognizable as UC San Diego — a cutting-edge institution with the access , facilities and service it deserves .”
GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE Robert Clossin ' 95 holds a planning diagram for a new
" front door " to UC San Diego , featuring the Pepper Canyon Light Rail Transit Station and the Design and Innovation Building ( now under construction ) as well as the future Pepper Canyon Amphitheater .
34 TRITON | FALL 2019