Learning Resources

Abstract: With the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events continuing to increase across the country, the need for resilience planning is more critical than ever before.

Numerous campuses across the California State University (CSU) system have direct experience with wildfires, extended drought, floods, extreme heat, public safety power shutoffs, hurricanes, and sea level rise. The CSU is currently working toward increasing resilience in response to catastrophic events through systemwide technical guidance resources on building and infrastructure design and retrofit. These extreme conditions further prompted the need for vulnerability assessments systemwide and coordinated climate resilience planning and investment activities.

Using the activities of CSU climate action and adaptation planning, Wallace’s SCUP Fellows project sought to achieve three (3) primary objectives:

Review planning documents and policies that consider climate resiliency governance versus climate resiliency implementation.
Identify key stakeholders to develop a primer for addressing and incorporating campus-community implementation priorities.
Raise awareness with the broader higher education planning community to collect feedback and share model practices.
Join 2022-2023 SCUP Fellow Tamara Wallace as she shares her findings to help you and your team proactively plan for climate change to mitigate risks, prevent damage, and ensure continued learning from lived experiences.

Abstract: HBCUs have a tradition of providing affordable, culturally accessible higher education to minority and first-generation students as they support disadvantaged communities. The evolution of planning, partnerships, and pedagogy at HBCUs provides lessons for any stressed institution. United Negro College Fund and HBCU college leaders will examine enrollment, instruction, student success, historic preservation, and fundraising in a post-pandemic world and explore how we can transform these challenges into successes. Join the panel for an engaging discussion about physical, academic, financial, and operational strategies for reshaping and strengthening HBCUs and apply lessons learned to address diversity, equity, and inclusion at your institution.

Abstract: After considering the pandemic’s impacts—in particular, new financial constraints and shifting space expectations—it become clear that Florida State University’s relatively recent master plan needed to be reimagined.

Revising a master plan isn’t usually innovative, but Florida State’s holistic approach is. By engaging the whole institution in the conversation, the master plan reset will ensure that the values and aspirations of the institution are reflected in a built environment that not only meets program needs, but supports and sustains the innovation necessary for post-pandemic realities. The result? A master plan that includes almost no new buildings, rethinks how entire programs work, and drives discipline back into departmental aspirations.

Abstract: Over the past year, the hospitality teams at Yale University and the University of Connecticut (UConn) have had to rethink their dining operations, shifting to a transactional approach to continue supporting student wellbeing. The two universities faced very different challenges: UConn, as one of the country's largest self-operated food service programs, focused on maintaining diverse options; Yale, as a transformational organization, committed to table gatherings and healthy, locally-sourced food. This session will explore how these programs have adapted to the current crisis and what their experiences teach us about the future of campus food service.

Abstract: Early in the pandemic, the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) took deliberate steps to communicate, engage, and collaborate with its campus and surrounding neighborhood. These actions included health and safety measures and programs, channels for addressing concerns, and efforts to meet basic campus and community needs. This session will focus on how the university encouraged adherence to health and safety guidelines by using a framework emphasizing culture, education, compliance, and support. Come learn how Pitt fostered a sense of community and belonging, created volunteer experiences, and motivated students to comply with health and safety rules during a public health crisis.

Abstract: With climate change bringing dramatic demographic, economic, and weather changes, universities and colleges must be prepared for risks to the campus's buildings, landscapes, and infrastructure that could disrupt operations. This session explores the intertwined concepts of risk management and resilience planning. You will learn about best practices in campus resilience planning, and try a simple resilience assessment tool for identifying, prioritizing, and planning for potential risks. You can take this useful Excel-based tool back to your institution to identify the top risks that should be prioritized in campus planning efforts.