Dale Braun, Campus Planner, University of Wisconsin – River Falls

The 2020 Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recognizes the exceptional contribution that Dale Braun has made to the SCUP Planning Institute (PI) as a facilitator and developer.

In the years since Dale graduated from the PI in 2007, he has been instrumental in the ongoing development of the workshop series, including the program redesign in 2016 and transition to virtual delivery in 2020 and 2021. As a PI facilitator for more than 12 years, Dale has delivered all three Planning Institute workshops to hundreds of corporate and higher education professionals and has acted as a role model and trainer for new facilitators.

Dale has been the campus planner at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls for more than 37 years. He has managed projects affecting virtually every building and department on campus, providing leadership in space planning and management, capital budget development, and major building project development and management. Dale has experience in environmental affairs and real estate and historic preservation, and has served on many formal and ad hoc planning and administrative committees throughout his career.

He assisted in the creation of the university’s Office of Integrated Planning, where he was a staff member. In 2010, he received the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Excellence Award for his work in integrated planning—the only administrative professional recognized in that classification of awards. He retired from his university spring 2021.

The SCUP Board of Directors, by bestowing this award, honors and recognizes Dale’s significant contribution to the development and success of SCUP’s Planning Institute.

Dale noted, “I’ve been dedicated in my career, and my work giving back to the Academy through the Planning Institute would not have been possible without the support of my chancellor and my administration. I’ve really pinched myself with the luck of being able to do this, coming from a small campus without a lot of resources. It’s a recognition that’s beyond compare for me.”