Learning Resources

Optimizing for Growth

Long-Term Planning Is Essential During an Institutional Merger, Acquisition, and/or Geographic Expansion

By: Clayton Mitchell, MS, PE, CEM, and Chuck Rudalavage, BArch, AIA, LEED AP

Thomas Jefferson University focused on culture, communications, and collaboration during a transformational period of combining institutions.

From Volume 51 Number 3 | April–June 2023

Abstract: Accurately planning long-term strategy can be a shaky task for quickly-growing organizations, especially those that desire to maintain a strong impression on their stakeholders and surrounding communities. History shows that mergers and acquisitions can negatively impact an organization’s culture, communication initiatives, and internal and external experiences. Thomas Jefferson University, a longstanding private medical research university in Philadelphia, educating scholars since 1824, in recent years merged with Philadelphia University and further expanded its footprint through the aligned Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. The authors of this article describe how to collaboratively optimize growth during a transformational period.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Change Management, Engaging Stakeholders, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Medical / Allied Health Facility, Organizational Change, Placemaking, Planning Processes, Renovation

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You Belong Here

Plan for and Design Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Campus Spaces

By: Shannon Dowling, MArch, AIA, LEEDAP

Many marginalized student populations don’t see themselves as higher education material. Creating places on campus that reaffirm to them that they belong is vital.

From Volume 51 Number 1 | October–December 2022

Abstract: When carefully considered and thoughtfully planned, physical campus space has the power to reinforce an institution’s values around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Institutions Mentioned: Virginia Commonwealth University, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, Ryerson University, Chapman University, Bennett College
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Active Learning Environments, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Health and Wellness, Informal Learning Environments, Landscape / Open Space, Learning Environments, Original Research, Placemaking, Student Experience, Underserved Students

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Webinar Recordings

Published
December 9, 2021

How Assessment Can Improve Your Campus’s Active Learning Spaces

By: David M. Zaiser, HDR | Shannon Dowling, Ayers Saint Gross | Alice Donlan, University of Maryland | Hilary Gossett, University of Maryland | Jeffrey Ashley, Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University)

Come join us for an engaging and interactive session that will provide you with critical, campus-tested planning tools that you can use in your own classroom assessment to improve your campus learning environment.

Abstract: Higher education planners recognize the crucial role that active learning spaces play in improving student outcomes, but identifying the specific characteristics that make these environments most beneficial for student success is still an evolving process. Representatives from two institutions—one private, the other public—will share their experiences and highlight the planning tools they use to assess active learning spaces aimed at powering student gains. Come join us for an engaging and interactive session that will provide you with critical, campus-tested planning tools that you can use in your own classroom assessment to improve your campus learning environment. This webinar was brought to you by the SCUP Mid-Atlantic region.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University, University of Maryland-College Park
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Active Learning Environments, Analyzing Stakeholders, Assessment / Analytics, Facilities Assessment, Facilities Planning, Learning Environments, Space Assessment

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Conference Recordings

Published
July 16, 2021

2021 Annual Conference | July 2021

Achieving a Sustainable Campus Master Plan through Integrative Design

By: Daniel O'Shaughnessy, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP | Natalie Shivers, Princeton University | Shana Weber, Princeton University | Sheena Zhang, Atelier Ten

This session will explore Princeton University’s campus master plan, which engages an ethos of sustainability through the lens of carbon emissions, landscape design, energy, and water efficiency, from design through construction.

Abstract: The building sector contributes forty percent of carbon emissions globally. Given the climate crisis, it is imperative that campus facilities and planning departments address sustainability in a rigorous and fiscally responsible way. This session will explore Princeton University’s campus master plan, which engages an ethos of sustainability through the lens of carbon emissions, landscape design, energy, and water efficiency, from design through construction. Find out how you can apply Princeton's ambitious sustainability goals and lessons learned to your master plan and sustainably develop your projects for the benefit of your campus environment and community.

Institutions Mentioned: Princeton University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Campus Master Planning, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Energy Infrastructure, Facilities Planning, SCUP 2021 Annual Conference, Sustainability (Environmental)

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Conference Recordings

Published
July 12, 2021

2021 Annual Conference | July 2021

The Next Chapter in the Paradigm Shift for Hands-on Learning

A higher education design expert, an educator, and a panel of students across hands-on disciplines will share their perspectives on how education spaces might evolve as hybrid learning becomes the new normal.

Abstract: Future-proofing education spaces through hybrid learning models is an opportunity to empower students, spark innovation, and strengthen connections between the campus and its community. A higher education design expert, an educator, and a panel of students across hands-on disciplines will share their perspectives on how education spaces might evolve as hybrid learning becomes the new normal. As we accelerate towards a blended future of physical and virtual learning environments, you can begin rethinking how your institution's educational spaces can provide diversity, multimodality, and flexibility.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Learning Environments, Online Learning, SCUP 2021 Annual Conference

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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”.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, University of Virginia-Main Campus
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Active Learning, Active Learning Environments, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Learning Environments, SCUP 2021 Mid-Atlantic Symposium | June

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Conference Recordings

Published
March 18, 2021

2021 North Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2021

Better Value and Outcomes through Integrative Design

By: Patricia Devine, Princeton University | Nadav Malin | Michael Pulaski, Thornton Tomasetti | Natalie Shivers, Princeton University

In this session, we'll share our results and challenges with the Integrative Design Process (IDP) at Princeton, and show how you can use an IDP to realize better value and outcomes for your campus project.

Abstract: The Integrative Design Process (IDP) is a powerful collaborative framework that aligns with an institution's culture to cost-effectively achieve any project's desired outcomes. After adopting IDP incrementally since 2003, Princeton University has created a full program, including a roadmap and in-depth training. A well-designed IDP supports participation and buy-in from users and effective collaboration in project teams-that means fewer changes during the construction documents phase and construction, smoother turnover, and better performance. In this session, we'll share our results and challenges and show how you can use an IDP to realize better value and outcomes for your campus project.

Institutions Mentioned: Princeton University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Collaborative Design, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Planning Processes, Project Management / Delivery, SCUP 2021 North Atlantic Regional Conference, Sustainability (Environmental)

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Conference Recordings

Published
March 18, 2021

2021 North Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2021

The Future Campus

A Dialogue with Three Institutions and Learning Technologist

A panel of three institutions and a learning technologist will offer their diverse perspectives on these issues and how they're influencing the physical and virtual campus environment: an unprecedented pandemic; rapidly-accelerating climate change; a mobile technology-enabled society; and critical issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion

Abstract: Higher education will shape its future through its response to this critical moment: an unprecedented pandemic; rapidly-accelerating climate change; a mobile technology-enabled society; and critical issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As new values, core issues, and questions continue to emerge, institutions must face these challenges by weighing different impacts and shifting priorities. A panel of three institutions and a learning technologist will offer their diverse perspectives on these issues and how they're influencing the physical and virtual campus environment. Come join the dialogue and adopt an inquiry-based mindset to proactively plan for a more agile and resilient future campus.

Institutions Mentioned: Cornell University, Princeton University, Wellesley College
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Environmental Scanning, Facilities Planning, Higher Ed Trends, Learning Environments, Learning Technology, Online Learning, SCUP 2021 North Atlantic Regional Conference

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Webinar Recordings

Published
January 19, 2021

Unleashing the Power of Difference

Creating Neuro-Inclusive Learning Spaces

By: Jennifer Carpenter, Verona Carpenter Architects | Irina Verona, Verona Carpenter Architects | Marie-Christine Potvin, Thomas Jefferson University | Monique Chabot, Thomas Jefferson University | Josh Humbel, SCUP

We live in a neurodiverse world. Spaces that support sensory needs can allow a wider range of students to flourish, creating a more equitable—and more flexible—environment. Leaders from Thomas Jefferson University and Verona Carpenter Architects will share examples across typologies of innovative solutions, unleashing the generative power of difference.

Abstract: We live in a neurodiverse world. Students, whether or not they have formal diagnoses, learn in different ways, and the converging crises of our day demand new paradigms of inclusion across the campus. Spaces that support sensory needs can allow a wider range of students to flourish, creating a more equitable—and more flexible—environment.

Leaders from Thomas Jefferson University and Verona Carpenter Architects will share examples across typologies of innovative solutions, unleashing the generative power of difference. Use the examples and discussion points to create a healthier, more attractive space on campus for all learning types.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: COVID-19, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Learning Environments, Underserved Students

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The Connected Campus

Building Long-Term Value and Agility by Connecting Offerings, Organizations and Operations

By: Elliot Felix, MArch

Campus environments play a vital role in student success. By making changes to their combination of spaces, institutions can respond to the shifts transforming higher education. Elliot Felix shares how colleges and universities can prepare for a more blended world by bringing together the digital and physical, enabling greater diversity and inclusion, and implementing flexible structures, staffing, space, and services. Sponsored Content: Knoll and brightspot strategy.

Abstract: Historic separations that defined higher education are dissolving: research is more interdisciplinary, online and on-campus learning are converging, wet and dry labs are blending, teaching and research overlap, and academia forges relationships with corporate partners. Institutions, by improving how they connect what they offer, how they are organized, and how they operate, can build value and agility to better assist their people on campus. Real-world examples in this white paper from Knoll and brightspot strategy discuss how campus spaces support student success, including how to fully use the campus; creating spaces that sustain diverse and flexible ways of working; thinking phygitally; and creating environments where today’s purpose-driven and entrepreneurial students (Gen Z) will thrive as they prepare to enter the workforce.

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