CLEMSON -- Undergraduate students at Clemson University could one day conduct research on a unique waterfront showcase campus where the Foothills Family YMCA is today.

Labs, museums and studios would line a mall leading to a public marina at Lake Hartwell where students could take pontoon shuttles to research sites in Clemson Forest, Clemson Research Park and elsewhere, said Ben Sill, director of general engineering programs, who proposed the concept.

Sill's proposal for a CURIOUS campus -- an acronym for Clemson University Research Initiative Offered to Undergraduate Students -- comes as Clemson embarks on a goal to involve all undergraduates in research projects.

It addresses a research space shortage as undergraduate projects gear up and emphasizes the uniqueness of Clemson's location and could be a recruiting tool for top students and faculty, Sill said.

"The potential for it is enormous," said Jan Murdoch, dean of undergraduate studies. "Having this many undergraduates actively working on discovery projects is going to take space, and we don't have that much space."

But it also involves a controversial issue of development of Clemson's federal land grant lands -- there are restrictions on how that land can be used -- and it's already in use by the YMCA.

The concept is great, but the location may need to be changed, Murdoch said.

If "Y Beach" doesn't work out, there are other waterfront possibilities, Murdoch said.

Chuck Kriese, a member of the Foothills Area Family YMCA board, said the board knows change is coming and hopes when the time comes the university will make office space available that the 108-year-old YMCA can use as a headquarters for its programs serving the greater Clemson area and neighboring Oconee County.

"We know that land is extremely valuable to Clemson University, and we anticipate in the coming years for Clemson to do something with that land," Kriese said. "There are fields and facilities in a lot of places. Everybody would be happy if they would allow the Y to maintain a facility for offices and operations to keep the Foothills Y alive."

As a coach and a teacher for 31 years, Kriese said he personally likes the idea of the property being used for an academic purpose rather than commercial.

Clemson President James Barker said the idea is interesting but will take study.

"I'm glad to see faculty and students thinking so creatively about how to enhance -- and distinguish -- Clemson's undergraduate program," Barker said. "It's too early to know whether it's financially and programmatically feasible."

Students have varying opinions.

Freshman Michele Siska likes the uniqueness and said it would give graduates an advantage in the job market.

Junior George Elder wants the Clemson Forest lands to remain more protected and secluded from the greater use the pontoon shuttle could encourage.

Clemson senior Chris Walsh, who is part of a group of upper level and graduate landscape architecture students producing preliminary designs for the campus, said the plans they have worked on incorporate ideas from many different people "who look at it in different ways."

Dan Nadenicek, planning and landscape architecture professor and department chair, said building around a marina "became a focus."

A green corridor and roads coming in and buildings around a campus mall-like area create a public space linked up with the marina at the terminus, Nadenicek said. New trees would be planted "to upgrade the natural ground and tree cover of the site," he said.

In addition, two graduate business students at Clemson's Arthur M. Spiro Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership are putting some cost and revenue numbers to the plan.

"It's quite difficult because it's a very big vision, and our plan would just be a starting point for how the vision would go forward," said Caron St. John, Spiro Center director.

While the plan would mean a move for the YMCA, it would improve the beach with a boardwalk and marina that would be open to the public, Sill said.