Learning Resources

Abstract: The pandemic has exposed and added to the vulnerabilities that students face. It has also impacted how institutions serving underrepresented students are working to redefine student support in an evolving campus environment. In this session, we'll share how institutions have made changes in their metrics, planning and design strategies, and campus facilities that contribute to recruitment, academic growth, and graduation rates. Join us for an interactive discussion about student success strategies and learn new approaches for meeting returning students' needs, including hybrid learning, flexible learning spaces, and the importance of representation, inclusivity, safety, and wellness.

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: Today, the amount of space devoted to research at research universities exceeds that of classrooms and class laboratories. This research space portfolio presents important policy and management challenges. As stewards of this portfolio, universities must address issues of funding the construction of research facilities, equipping and maintaining them, allocating and accounting for space used for research, and managing, in broadest terms, the physical and administrative infrastructure in which research is conducted. As this article illustrates, managing the balance between the growing demand for and the supply of research space is complicated. To address the issues of research space, universities have developed a variety of space management methods to fit their unique research missions, priorities, and operational culture. This article provides important insights into this little studied aspect of higher education space planning. The article is an overview of research space management across the U. S. on general campuses and in health science centers. It is based on interviews with senior administrators in selected research universities conducted specifically for this study, information about research space management available on university documents on the Internet, and on the work of Ira Fink and Associates, Inc. in programming research facilities on a multitude of campuses nationwide.