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 Cathy Blake, Associate Director, Campus Planning and Design, Stanford University. Pacific 360's editor, Cheryl Lentini, of HMC Architects, interviewed Blake:

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

Cathy Blake | SCUP is a great organization for focused attention to issues that we on campuses deal with daily. The lessons learned from others are invaluable. I always believe in giving back and I am proud of our university, so I was thrilled to be able to help develop a rich and comprehensive program for a conference in my backyard.

Cheryl Lentini | You have been instrumental in organizing the Stanford conference. What does your role involve and how do you balance it with your duties at Stanford?

Cathy Blake | My primary commitment was to organize the tours and special off-campus events for the conference. We have five tours of different institutions, including one of Stanford that I am leading, one of Google that I am hosting, and we are also offering “5th Wheel Tours” during the educational sessions. There has been a lot of rewarding exchange between the various institutions and Chris Shay has been a master organizer of meetings and overall coordination so that has helped tremendously. This, coupled with some of my commitments to my other professional organizations, has me completely over-extended, but well supported by my own office and staff.

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

Cathy Blake | I think the range of topics cover the contemporary issues all campuses seem to be grappling with today. The video conferencing with Asia is a great new experiment, but brings the Pacific Region all the closer. At Stanford we have completed $3.8 billion dollars of construction over the past 12 years and are still in the midst of major redevelopment. It is exciting to be able to show visitors so many new, state-of-the art projects and initiatives.

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

Cathy Blake | We are currently building out malls and infrastructure to grow with the growing campus; we are in the middle of a Campus Entrance Study to develop identity and wayfinding for the campus. Within the past year we have completed a new School of Business, new School of Medicine Campus, Law School Campus and are in the process of completing the Science and Engineering Quad and buildings. We are currently constructing a major Concert Hall, a new academic art building and the Anderson Gallery that will house a world class collection of modern art. We are in the process of converting all of our energy from a cogeneration plant to a hot water exchange program; we are establishing a farm on The Farm and we are looking to establish an arboretum in our open space. New housing is next up for development.

Cheryl Lentini | Thank you for your time, Cathy, for this interview and for helping to make SCUP's largest-ever regional conference a sold-out event.