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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
July 17, 2025

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Co-Locate and Consolidate to Create Connected Campuses

Grow in Place Rather Than Add More Space Where Students Will Succeed

By: Elliot Felix, MArch

You can share spaces, support services, staffing, and technology systems within your institution and with external partners. This reduces costs while improving outcomes such as retention, graduation, and career placement rates.

From Volume 53 Number 3 | April–June 2025

Abstract: Colleges and universities have a traditional way to meet new needs. When there is a new research initiative, degree program, or student support function, institutions add space. Despite good intentions, their siloed structures, poor strategic planning, and history of continuous expansion mean that institutions adapt by adding. The result: Campuses are overbuilt and underutilized. Instead of shared spaces and seamless, supportive experiences, we’re left with sprawling campuses and spiraling costs. With enrollments, research funding, and our climate all changing, it’s time for a new model and a new mantra: Grow in place rather than add more space.

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Report

Published
July 3, 2024

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When City Parks Are Your Quad

Urban Campus Planning for Safety and Well-Being

By: Joel Pettigrew, MA, Higher Education Administrator and Strategist

This is a SCUP Fellow Research Project Final Report for the 2022–2023 program. This report explores how the urban campus can best support student development in a safe, yet open environment.
Abstract: How can the campus best support student development in a safe, yet open environment? On an urban campus, these concerns are intensified: There is much more localized activity for students to engage with in their city environment, and many more stakeholders influence how the institution can assert itself in that environment.

In this 2022-2023 SCUP Fellow research report, Joel Pettigrew reflects on how campus edge dynamics and student sense of security play out at several urban campuses. Pettigrew weaves together his operational understanding of campus life with a design understanding of how planners and architects approach the campus to explore how these “two languages” inform student security and well-being, and notes in conclusion that there are many research threads yet to follow.

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Conference Recordings

Published
November 2, 2022

2022 Mid-Atlantic Regional Symposium | November

Reckoning with Entangled Histories

Higher Education and Slavery

By: Fanchon (Chon) Glover, College of William and Mary | Amber Hall, College of William and Mary | Samuel Hayes, College of William and Mary | Ben Carton, George Mason University | Wendi Manuel Scott, George Mason University | Cathy Pinskey, George Mason University | Dereck J. Rovaris, Sr., St. Mary's College of Maryland | Maurice Schlesinger, St. Mary's College of Maryland | Louis Nelson, University of Virginia | Alice Raucher, University of Virginia | Stephanie Wolfgang, Perkins&Will

In this symposium, four institutions will share their approaches to these complicated questions and how they’re continuing the conversation around the legacy of slavery on their campuses.
Abstract: American higher education institutions have a long, complex history with slavery that shouldn’t be ignored. Reckoning with these historical ties—from slave-owning namesakes to the enslaved laborers who constructed campus buildings—generates difficult questions for colleges and universities:
  • How do we honor those who were enslaved?
  • How do we recognize our role in the history of slavery as a means of learning from the past to guide our future?
In this symposium, four institutions will share their approaches to these complicated questions and how they’re continuing the conversation around the legacy of slavery on their campuses.

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Report

Published
May 19, 2022

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The Planning and Design of Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive Campus Environments

By: Shannon Dowling, MArch, AIA, LEEDAP

This is a SCUP Fellow Research Project Final Report for the 2020–2021 program. Space is not neutral; we perceive physical environments differently based on our backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. This new, research-based playbook can guide universities and design teams through key strategies and possible metrics relative to DEI to use when planning, designing, and assessing physical campus space.
Abstract: Space is not neutral; we perceive physical environments differently based on our backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. Every student brings a unique perspective to campus, and therefore every campus will have individual needs.

This research project collected a body of evidence around student preferences for welcoming and inclusive physical campus environments, sourced from engagements with more than two dozen institutions and more than 200 students. The author used these findings to develop a playbook to guide institutions and design teams through key strategies and possible metrics relative to DEI to use when planning, designing, and assessing physical campus space. The playbook serves as a conversation starter—a way to get planners, designers, and institutional stakeholders to the table and move the needle toward a more supportive physical environment that embodies the strategic values of DEI.

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Conference Recordings

Published
June 16, 2021

2021 Mid-Atlantic Symposium | June 2021

Integrating Place and Pedagogy to Foster Active Learning

What Works

By: Jeffrey Ashley, Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) | Alice Donlan, University of Maryland | Shannon Dowling, Ayers Saint Gross | Kate Drabinski, University of Maryland Baltimore County | Hilary Gossett, University of Maryland | Richard Minturn, University of Virginia | John Notis, University of Virginia | Wynne Stuart, University of Virginia | Nancy Sturm, NV5 | Steven Anderson, UMBC Division of Information Technology

Planners from four universities will explore how active learning environments are evolving on their campuses, leading to more engaging learning experiences and improving student outcomes.
Abstract: Over the past year the pandemic has brought many challenges to higher education as well as opportunities to shape future learning spaces. Planners from four universities will explore how active learning environments are evolving on their campuses, leading to more engaging learning experiences and improving student outcomes. Come join us for a lively discussion about how space optimization, thoughtful furniture selection, and strategic technology implementation all contribute to the design of “the perfect active learning classroom”.

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Conference Recordings

Published
March 10, 2021

2021 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2021

Centering Wellbeing and Whole Student Health on Campus

By: Lauren Shirley, VMDO Architects | Christopher Holstege, University of Virginia | Tom Roberts, University of Richmond | Bridget Weikel | Jim Kovach, VMDO Architects

Join us as we take a deep dive into three universities’ recent campus projects aimed at promoting student health and share takeaways at critical junctures of the integrated planning processes.
Abstract: Today's students are facing unique health challenges, which means that next-generation student health facilities must maximize accessibility and deepen service offerings that are attuned to student needs and behaviors. In this session, a panel featuring three different universities will discuss how they're reorganizing campus space and resources to prioritize student health and wellbeing. Mapping wellbeing onto different types of campus space is an important and timely development in campus planning. Join us as we take a deep dive into three recent campus projects aimed at promoting student health and share takeaways at critical junctures of the integrated planning processes.

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Webinar Recordings

Published
August 26, 2020

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Construction on Campus

By: Catherine Walsh, Associate Vice President, Facilities Division, Northeastern University | David L. Damon, Principal and Higher Education Practice Leader, Perkins and Will | Maureen Kirkpatrick, Vice President/Operations Manager, Turner Construction Company | Hosted by: Niusha Arndt, Project Designer, Perkins and Will, BSA/SCUP College + University Roundtable | Donna Denio Client Service Representative, Campbell-McCabe, Co-Chair, BSA/SCUP College + University Roundtable

This webinar will focus on how higher education campus construction is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its positive and negative implications on construction sites on the MIT and Northeastern University campuses. Panelists will share case studies of how on-campus construction has changed, the new supply chains, and staff management consideration.

This is part of the series “Less Talk, More Action: Tactical Topics to Return to Campus.”

Abstract: This webinar will focus on how higher education campus construction is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its positive and negative implications on construction sites on the MIT and Northeastern University campuses. Panelists will share case studies of how on-campus construction has changed, the new supply chains, and staff management consideration. They will review construction opportunities due to the pandemic, and how to plan for modifying existing facilities to respond to evolving campus needs.

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Webinar Recordings

Published
June 24, 2020

Coffee Chat: Planning for Fall Revenue

By: Melody Bianchetto, Vice President for Finance, University of Virginia | Larry Goldstein, President, Campus Strategies LLC

The pandemic changed the higher ed landscape, and as we look ahead, this discussion will help you think through enrollment challenges, discuss tuition increases, examine current perceptions of the value of an online education, and consider financial aid for fall 2020.
Abstract: The pandemic changed the higher ed landscape, and as we look ahead, this discussion will help you think through enrollment challenges, discuss tuition increases, examine current perceptions of the value of an online education, and consider financial aid for fall 2020.

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Webinar Recordings

Published
June 15, 2020

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Back to School Through the Lens of ASHRAE

By: Hosts: Niusha Arndt, Designer, Perkins + Will, BSA/SCUP College + University Roundtable; Patrick Murphy, Associate Principal and Director of Sustainable Design, Vanderweil Engineers, BSA/SCUP College + University Roundtable | Moderator: Nancy May, Formerly Vice President, Facility & Operations Management, Northeastern University | Panelists: Susanna M. Baker, Director of Facilities & Space Planning, MIT Sloan School of Management; Bill Bahnfleth, Leader of ASHRAE’s Epidemic Task Force, Former President of ASHRAE (worldwide), Professor of Architectural Engineering at Penn State University

Panelists Susanna M. Baker, MIT Sloan School of Management, and Bill Bahnfleth, ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) and Penn State University, discussed requirements for a typical campus upgrade and reviewed ASHRAE recommendations on improving campus safety in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also addressed some of the unique challenges for an urban campus response to maintaining campus safety.
Abstract: This is the third in a series of webinars, “Less Talk, More Action: Tactical Topics to Return to Campus,” jointly sponsored by SCUP’s North Atlantic Region, BSA, and their BSA/SCUP College + University Roundtable focused on the impact of COVID-19 on campuses.

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Conference Recordings

Published
March 16, 2020

2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2020

Creating Empathy-Driven Design Collaborations with Virtual Reality

By: Amy Eichenberger, Senior Project Manager, University of Virginia | Lauren Shirley, Architect, VMDO Architects | Matthew Trowbridge, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health and Associate Research Director for the, University of Virginia School of Medicine

We will demonstrate how we incorporated VR into stakeholder engagement for the University of Virginia's Student Health and Wellness Center to address health outcomes, promote student learning, and collaborate with interdisciplinary partners across campus.
Abstract: Multiple entities within institutions often have competing values, but virtual reality (VR) simulation can help overcome this challenge by creating an accessible platform for building a collective vision. We will demonstrate how we incorporated VR into stakeholder engagement for the University of Virginia's Student Health and Wellness Center to address health outcomes, promote student learning, and collaborate with interdisciplinary partners across campus. Encouraging stakeholders to virtually test a space's impact on health and learning will help you to advance decision-making, leverage diverse expertise, and capture empathy-driven insight to create a more efficient and intelligent design process at your institution.

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