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: A proactive approach to master planning, rooted in empirical evidence and stakeholder input, can be emulated on campuses nationwide. The article’s authors show how a space analysis, if implemented correctly, can provide an institution’s decision-makers with the valuable data needed to create a dynamic and adaptable campus environment.

Abstract: By right-sizing course offerings, classrooms, and buildings, planners can drive incremental improvements that help to advance campus culture. We’ll demonstrate how to leverage data on course enrollment, classroom utilization, and learning trends to inform strategic investments in capital improvement, curriculum development, and recruitment. This session will uncover ways of making progress on campus by addressing issues related to enrollment changes and student activity while navigating lean capital funding conditions.

Abstract: Post-pandemic, Simon Fraser University (SFU) developed the Community Vibrancy Playbook to welcome students, staff, and faculty back to campus. We’ll discuss how the campus community can participate in a wide array of initiatives that lead to collaboration, programs, and projects that transform the campus into a welcoming place that prioritizes wellbeing. Positive student experiences are vital and institutions can benefit from including new activities that enrich student life and participation. Come learn how to employ facilitation and listening as tools in project management and embrace adaptability to change, leading to successful outcomes for campus life and the student experience.

Abstract: Today’s students are coming to school with diverse gender identities. Designing facilities with gender equity in mind helps to support marginalized communities and future proof the campus. This session will present case studies and inclusive best practices for ‘designing beyond the binary’ to foster belonging in campus housing, restrooms, and gathering spaces. You’ll discover strategies to foster belonging and wellbeing for a spectrum of gender identities through programming and operations as well as learn about design tools and tips to create belonging in spatial environments.

Abstract: Individuals with disabilities are not a homogeneous group and planners and designers have an ethical responsibility to shape the physical campus environment in response to their needs. Using the University of California (UC), Berkeley as a contextual framework, we’ll examine how past planning efforts have shaped the campus through an accessibility lens, how the disability rights movement has defined disability, and how current models are shaping our understanding of equitable access. Looking beyond prescriptive codes, join us to explore how to transform old frameworks and infrastructure into inclusive and functional spaces, leaning into equitable experience and access.

Abstract: As leaders of colleges and universities continue to analyze changes today and plan their campuses for the future, the knowledge and insight from the SCUP community is critical. The 2023 Campus Facilities Inventory (CFI) report’s valuable facilities benchmarking data will help college and university leaders understand not only what they have now and how it compares, but also how things might change in the future.

The CFI report consists of two sections that provide a holistic picture of today while enabling institutions to crowdsource a vision for the future: current space use data and recent and planned changes to campus facilities.

Data are reported only in aggregate, protecting the privacy of each institution. Reporting focuses on findings and comparison tables by institution type (e.g., four-year public, four-year private, and two-year public), location (e.g., urban, suburban, rural), and size (i.e., in-person student headcount).

Abstract: Students’ sense of belonging is strongly connected to wellbeing and academic success. How does a student develop a sense of belonging and mattering and what does that look like in the campus built environment? In this session, we’ll explore the critical themes of belonging and mattering for design in higher education to illustrate how design choices can shape student experiences. Join us to explore how you can asses campus spaces for belonging and mattering and make quick design interventions to effect meaningful change.

Abstract: Many campuses face challenges integrating with their surrounding urban contexts. Gateway buildings along campus edges can reinvigorate campus-city connectivity while a contextual design can contribute to an institution’s sense of place. The Catholic University of America’s newly completed School of Nursing and gateway plaza serves as a threshold between the urban fabric and pastoral landscape with a collegiate gothic exterior and an educationally advanced, innovative interior. This session will illustrate a project case study that engages the surrounding urban context with sustainable, responsible design, combining a historically responsive exterior with technology-rich, contemporary interior spaces.

Abstract: In our hybrid environment, it’s more important than ever to pull people away from their devices to build community and connection on campus. Food has the power to bring students and faculty from different backgrounds together and provide a fundamental academic experience. Through campus and workplace examples, we’ll show how food venue design can set a positive tone for interaction and support meaningful connections and wellbeing. Come learn how to plan campus food venues that serve an academic purpose, refine venue goals, and inform venue design through operations to make it more impactful and sustainable.