Each year, SCUP's Pacific Regional Conference offers workshops, tours, and sessions to give SCUP members opportunities to learn, share knowledge and experiences, and connect with colleagues all over the region. Planning for the annual conferences starts months, even years in advance and is only made possible each year by a dedicated group of volunteers that make up the local host and conference planning committee. Our recent March 2012 Pacific 360 newsletter acknowledges the contribution of some these individuals. Your membership dues underwrites the expenses of this volunteer work. If you're not a member, please join and contribute!

One such SCUPer is Emily Marthinsen, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Physical and Environmental Planning, University of California, Berkeley. Pacific 360's editor, Cheryl Lentini, of HMC Architects, interviewed Marthinsen: 

Cheryl Lentini | Tell us what first interested you in SCUP and why you became actively involved in the organization's leadership and program development?

Emily Marthinsen | Campus planning combines multiple disciplines—design, physical planning, program planning and more. SCUP emphasizes—was founded to support—that integration which is what drew me to the organization. I became more actively involved through presenting at conferences and at the suggestion of colleagues. Participation in SCUP became an important component of my own professional development.

Cheryl Lentini | What are some of the highlights of the Stanford conference that you are most excited about bringing to the attendees?

Emily Marthinsen | 1) The connection with Hong Kong will provide the opportunity to engage with colleagues and counterparts in Asia; 2) All three plenaries will provide opportunities to look broadly—in diverse settings—at campus planning, higher education and leadership.

Cheryl Lentini | What is the education mission of UC Berkeley and what is your role in the organization?

Emily Marthinsen | “The University’s fundamental missions are teaching, research and public service.” I am Assistant Vice Chancellor for Physical & Environmental Planning. In that role I am responsible for early project development including program and project definition, options analysis and alignment with overall campus plans and planning policy. I am responsible for the campus design review process, coordination with our host cities related to planning issues and the implementation of the 2020 Long Range Development Plan.

Cheryl Lentini | What are some of the major initiatives underway at UC Berkeley you are involved in that might be of interest to our members?

Emily Marthinsen | Our student community center will be transformative—both for the physical campus and for student life. In the next month or so, we expect that Berkeley’s City Council will approve the Downtown Area Plan (DAP), an effort the City undertook in partnership with us. We are excited about potential physical improvements and economic development in Berkeley’s downtown as a result of programs and initiatives related to the DAP.

Cheryl Lentini | Thank you for your contributions to what is officially SCUP's largest-ever regional conference!

Each year, SCUP's Pacific Regional Conference offers workshops, tours, and sessions to give SCUP members opportunities to learn, share knowledge and experiences, and connect with colleagues all over the region. Planning for the annual conferences starts months, even years in advance and is only made possible each year by a dedicated group of volunteers that make up the local host and conference planning committee. Our recent March 2012 Pacific 360 Newsletter acknowledges the contribution of some these individuals. Your membership dues underwrites the expenses of this volunteer work. If you're not a member, please join and contribute!

One such SCUPer is Michael Fung, Director of Planning & Institutional Research, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology. Pacific 360's editor, Cheryl Lentini, of HMC Architects, interviewed Fung:

Cheryl Lentini | Tell us what first interested you in SCUP and why you became actively involved in the organization's leadership and program development?

Michael Fung | I was drawn to SCUP’s focus on integrated institutional planning, an emphasis that is not replicated in other higher education associations and networks. In face of increasing global competition and rapid developments in the higher education sector, especially in Asia, planners play an increasingly vital role in strategic development of institutions. At the SCUP national conference last year, I linked up with John White and a number of members from the Pacific Region, and we got really excited discussing the possibility of a SCUP-Asia link. We have since taken the ideas forward, working with Chris Shay and team, and have put together what we believe would be an exciting and meaningful link-up between US and Asia, in the upcoming Higher Education Planning in Asia Forum (HEPA) held in Hong Kong, and the Pacific Region conference at Stanford.

Cheryl Lentini | You have been instrumental in organizing the concurrent Hong Kong event and the video linkage with the SCUP Stanford conferences. What does that involve and how do you balance it with your duties at HKUST?

Michael Fung | Getting this inaugural Asian event off the ground takes a lot of work. I am blessed to have an enthusiastic organizing committee (Bhupinder Singh from NUS, Kevin Downing from CityU, Bruce White from U of Canterbury), a team of dedicated and capable staff (Joyce Lam, Natalie Chang, David Shiu and more), generous support from industry sponsors, and the faith, support and encouragement from SCUP Pacific Region (John White, Chris Shay, John Long, and more). It has been a wonderful journey, and we are all looking forward to a successful event.

Cheryl Lentini | What are some of the highlights of the Hong Kong event that you are most excited about bringing to your attendees?

Michael Fung | Some of the highlights of the HEPA Forum in Hong Kong that we are very excited about are: Live video-link with the SCUP Pacific Region conference, allowing a high degree of back-and-forth interactions Participation by University planners from all across Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand Senior delegation from 16 UK institutions participating in part of the Forum With the diverse group of participants, the Forum will offer rich international perspectives, and we expect lots of interactions, networking, and mutual sharing and learning amongst senior colleagues. We also have a set of interesting topics lined up, such as setting up overseas branch campuses in Mainland China, driving change within institutions, insights in institutional risk management and disaster recovery, and more.

Cheryl Lentini |What are some of the major initiatives underway at HKUST you are involved in that might interest our members?

Michael Fung | There will be a system-wide shift from a 3-year to a 4-year undergraduate system in the Hong Kong universities, starting in Fall this year. This translates to a breathtaking 33% growth in undergraduate enrolment from the next academic year onwards. It has been a hectic past few years planning and co-coordinating the growth, including the redesigning of all our undergraduate programs, hiring of faculty, constructing new teaching and research facilities, enhancing student accommodation and amenities, and stepping up student recruitment locally and internationally. The pace of development and change will continue to accelerate as we approach Fall 2012. These are exciting times for HKUST, and the substantial growth provides a rare opportunity for us to sharpen our strategies and to align our institutions to new growth areas.

Cheryl Lentini | Thank you so much, Michael, for this interview and for your energies devoted toward integrated planning for higher education.