Learning Resources

Abstract: A strategic plan is supposed to “bring the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” Almost every college or university has such a plan because accreditors and governing boards require one. The question is: Why do so many higher education institutions seem to be unprepared when they take drastic actions (e.g., eliminating programs, cutting faculty and staff members, etc.) in uncertain times? The author studied more than 250 colleges and universities and suggests the answer in this article.

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, 2022-2023 SCUP Fellow Tamara Wallace’s SCUP Fellows project sought to achieve three (3) primary objectives:

1. Review planning documents and policies that consider climate resiliency governance versus climate resiliency implementation.


2. Identify key stakeholders to develop a primer for addressing and incorporating campus-community implementation priorities.


3. Raise awareness with the broader higher education planning community to collect feedback and share model practices.

Abstract: After the 2017 earthquake in Mexico City, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey’s campus underwent a transformative rebuilding process that emerged as a pedagogical prototype for the university system. This article explores the design strategies that prioritized civic engagement, resulting in buy-in, support, and representation from the community. It also describes the methodology behind blurring the boundaries between the university and its surroundings through lean principles in set-based design, strategies for resilient building, and insights into effective collaboration.

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: Community colleges provide equitable access to higher education and pathways to sustainable careers. This session will show how Laurel Ridge Community College (LRCC) secured its role in the regional economy by aligning programs with community priorities and mapping students’ career pathways to inform facilities planning. Collaboration with industry and the community enabled LRCC to plan for expansion, relevant programs, and advanced facilities for science, technology, engineering, math, and health sciences (STEM-H). Join us to find out how an engaging, user-focused academic building can leverage both flexibility and specialization to support student success and attract partners.

Abstract: In order for institutions to support students’ desire for engagement and impact within their local, regional, and national communities, they must plan and design spaces that foster instruction, discourse, and invention. This session will evaluate Thurgood Marshall Hall on its promise as an integrated scholar-practitioner community within the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Do Good Campus for social impact education. After a year of occupation, we’ll share how we conducted a qualitative assessment of the building with a wide cross-section of stakeholders and how the resulting lessons will impact the campus’s ‘Do Good’ mission and inform future planning and design.

Abstract: Rapidly changing users and technology paired with long project timelines requires institutions to think ahead and implement innovative strategies for creating new, high-end engineering facilities. Campus facilities must be nimble and ready to support multiple types of students. At the forefront of the AI technology revolution, George Mason University is undertaking large construction projects to serve a spectrum of undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students and create ecosystems of academic, industry, government, and community users. We’ll share planning strategies for AI technology learning spaces, practical solutions for designing future-focused facilities, and ways of promoting collaboration and connection across multiple communities.

Abstract: This article describes the step-by-step process of campus space reconceptualization. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a need to rethink learning spaces and adapt them to some of the good practices used during the solely online teaching period. Through cross-functional collaboration and joint governance, a purposefully established task force audited all classrooms at Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan). It came up with short-term and long-term recommendations. The audit results and recommendations outlined in this article might be useful to university administration and leadership interested in campus repurposing due to pandemic effects on teaching and new formats like hybrid learning that have influenced instruction.