Learning Resources

Abstract: Integrated planning leverages stakeholder insights and knowledge to make better, more informed decisions. No stakeholder is more important than our students, which is why we’re releasing a special issue of Trends focusing on their perspectives.

This Trends for Higher Education: The Student Voices Edition describes student perspectives on four trends featured in recent issues of Trends for Higher Education. Campus Sonar, a social listening firm, collected data from social platforms like Reddit and X to analyze what students are saying about artificial intelligence, their personal finances, enrollment and attrition decisions, and international students.

Learn more about the opinions, reactions, and perspectives students have about these critical issues, preparing your institution to engage with your students in a more informed way.

Use this report to:

• Inform your student stakeholder engagement strategies
• Develop questions for student surveys and focus groups
• Benchmark against findings from your student stakeholder engagement efforts
• Add context to what you’ve learned about your students and their perspectives

Abstract: Join Jason Nicholas and Tina Dee for a dynamic conversation exploring the external forces shaping higher education in 2025. Drawing from SCUP’s upcoming Trends Outside Higher Education | Fall 2025 report (available September 15), they’ll offer their perspective on what these trends really mean for your institution—and how to act on them.

You’ll gain more than a list of trends. This session brings fresh insights, real-world context, and practical takeaways that go beyond the report. Leverage what you learn to enhance your team’s strategic, scenario, and contingency planning—and stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly volatile landscape.

Abstract: Integrated planning prepares your institution for change by ensuring its decisions are informed by realities in the external environment.

How is the world outside your institution changing? From the growth of microschools to the decline of digital platforms and services, colleges and universities continue to face an environment that is uncertain and rapidly changing. Learn the key trends and movements that might impact your institution.

This issue curates and summarizes 40–50 trends happening outside the world of higher education that could impact colleges and universities. Each trend includes a brief summary, a footnoted source, and discussion questions to help you analyze and act on the trend.

Abstract: In this SCUP fellowship project, Lisa Jasinski applies strategic foresight methods to explore what university planning could look like in 2040—and how we can better prepare for it today.

Informed by environmental scanning, futures thinking, and stakeholder engagement with SCUP members and campus leaders, she developed four plausible scenarios grounded in current trends such as AI, climate change, political polarization, and declining public trust. These scenarios aren’t predictions; they are planning tools that help teams and organizations stress-test strategies, surface assumptions, and engage in meaningful future-focused conversations.

Abstract: Skilled trades education programs provide a viable and equitable option for students who choose not to pursue a four-year degree. Program expansion into high schools through career and technical education promotes these pathways even further for completion and success. This session will show how Howard Community College (HCC) is responding to labor shortages in skilled trades occupations by creating educational programs and partnerships to provide additional access to high-quality jobs that offer family-sustaining wages and benefits. Join us to discover new approaches to education and partnerships that address equity gaps in economic and professional opportunities in our communities.

Abstract: Planning processes must be versatile and nimble to accommodate changing priorities. This session will show how a design team developed a flexible data visualization tool that allows Dartmouth University to play out scenarios as priorities change over time. As Dartmouth renews its plans, we'll provide a comprehensive look at how the team considered parity, distribution, and student wellness in a three-part planning effort. Discover how you can apply our data visualization tool to describe complex variables to stakeholders, as well as use scenario planning to align cost, student experience, and institutional goals over the course of your plan's realization.

Abstract: The Choosing by Advantage (CBA) Matrix is a powerful tool for decision-making in the design and construction industry, from the planning process through project completion, and it delivers efficiency through fewer changes. CBAs take all stakeholders into account when defining advantages, so campus planners can achieve quality, an on-time schedule, and cost savings at every stage. Via simulation, we'll demonstrate how you can apply CBAs across all phases of a project. By presenting and providing step-by-step, compelling visuals, our team will enable you to implement CBAs tactically and early in your next project.

Abstract: This session will share the inclusive design behind the Agnes Reimagined project, a museum decolonization process with a focus on community engagement, decolonization, and sustainability. This project highlights a community-based design process that integrates Indigenous traditions, hospitality, and inclusivity. Through exploring our approach to inclusive design, engagement, decolonization, and sustainability, you will learn how to integrate indigenous perspectives and balance heritage preservation while creating a space of belonging that contributes to a healthy environment.

Abstract: The development of campus facilities, particularly research buildings, conflicts with the rise of decarbonization requirements to support a safe, healthy environment. We'll showcase a project that achieved balance by incorporating electric heating while enabling a campuswide transformation. Columbia University's sustainability plan aims for net-zero emissions and stands committed to responsible design and construction. The team behind the Vagelos Innovation Labs created a framework for the 2030 decarbonization plan, leading to New York City's first all-electric lab. Come learn how to navigate the visioning and execution of complex decarbonization projects, including the importance of an integrated approach from procurement through design.

Abstract: As an urban-engaged university, Buffalo State University's strategic commitment to diversity, inclusion, and access has strengthened and diversified student recruitment, raised retention rates, and built community within and beyond the campus. Buffalo State's reputation of providing quality education, access, equity, and engagement requires inclusive, multi-functional spaces that foster a sense of community and develop a welcoming and equity-minded culture for all students. This session will provide actionable design strategies for reimagining existing campus spaces as learning environments that can build community, foster a sense of belonging, and drive student success.