Learning Resources

Abstract: Higher education campuses have changed very little since the post-industrial era despite the diverse and evolving needs of the modern student. As students seek opportunities for interaction and engagement, institutions have a responsibility to not only provide them with knowledge, but a welcoming environment in which to thrive. This session will explore the diverse experiences of students, faculty, and staff on campus and how they correlate with a sense of wellbeing and belonging. Join us for a workshop that will help you reimagine your own campus's academic environments through empathy, adopting different perspectives, and identifying elements of inclusion and exclusion.

Abstract: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and biophilic design principles may often seem at odds, but great ideas for integrating security and wellness for your facilities may come from unexpected sources...as long as you engage users early on in planning and design. Illustrating the latest security, wellness, and biophilic design integration strategies, this session will provide you with essential tools for evaluating both prospective designs and existing conditions on your campus.

Abstract: Societal challenges and opportunities no longer fit in departments. Future success requires business researchers, educators, and students to interconnect across the entire campus and beyond. In this session, we will explore how to plan a campus ecosystem that connects business with people, ideas, and resources to drive a new research and education model. You will learn key strategies and find opportunities—encompassing planning, programming, design process, and lessons learned from building use—to advance your institution's mission and build a framework to implement your initiatives.

Abstract: Planning for a division within a university can be difficult; you must align to the larger institutional plan while also considering your division's unique mission and challenges. This session will describe the strategic planning process for a college within a university. We'll describe how we included more than 500 stakeholders, discussed enrollment declines and the upcoming demographic changes that will impact most colleges, and how we focused the plan on mission and innovation. You will leave with a blueprint for the planning process we used, from self study to training facilitators to final plan release.

Abstract: Access to appropriate lactation space is essential for new mothers to participate fully in work and study. Campus planners are positioned to introduce this topic at the beginning stages of new building design or facility renovation. The University of Pennsylvania and SCUP collaborated in a nationwide study to explore lactation policy and facilities in US colleges and universities. We will share results from the study, including user needs along with requirements for evidence-based lactation space design.

Abstract: Tracking and communicating data in a compelling way can make big, positive changes in how the facility inventory is managed, from annual maintenance to capital expenditures. We will describe how the Alamo Colleges uses principles of asset management to increase facilities funding from $1.3 to $18.5 million over 10 years and to pass a $450 million bond program in 2017. We will cover how we planned and organized a facilities inventory, using the data to determine funding priorities, and methods for helping stakeholders make decisions.

Abstract: Do you remember the last time you planned a comprehensive project and everyone was with you? Oh—never? Leaders in higher education work with the brightest, most sophisticated workforce in the world. Regardless of your goals, you know that some are going to challenge almost any effort that may involve that [honorary] four-letter word: CHANGE. This presentation from the author of Dealing with Dysfunction: A Book for University Leaders provides some discussion and sharing of ideas on how to handle challenging personnel as you attempt to work within a positive culture.

Abstract: Underrepresented students increasingly form the majority of most student bodies, but most built environments are not designed with these students' needs in mind. Why? Because most facilities planning processes do not engage underrepresented students in a way that elicits their experience of the built environment. This session offers new practices that yield social equity in campus planning and building design. You will learn new engagement and assessment tools that you can implement now to reveal and remedy the disparities that underrepresented students encounter in the built environments of the campus.

Abstract: Innovation centers, maker spaces, incubators, and idea factories get a lot of buzz, but what are they really and how can they be designed most effectively? This session is all about these innovation buildings—their design, use, and operations. We'll explore strategies and best practices, then roll up our sleeves and start designing! After we review the range of innovation buildings universities are creating, you will be asked to tackle a specific case study design problem within a small group.

Abstract: Higher education’s resource situation is not good and is not expected to get better in the foreseeable future. Elite and wealthy institutions are relatively immune to these pressures, but the overwhelming majority of other institutions are continually struggling to match resources to mission. Several actions, though difficult and painful, would help reduce the gap between available resources and those needed to meet stakeholders’ needs. This session focuses on the need to employ a coordinated and aligned approach to planning, resource allocation, and assessment. It goes on to describe a proven practice for utilizing all three to match resources to mission—strategic resource allocation. Finally, it offers suggestions for initiating the conversation on your campus.