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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
July 17, 2025

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Co-Locate and Consolidate to Create Connected Campuses

Grow in Place Rather Than Add More Space Where Students Will Succeed

By: Elliot Felix, MArch

You can share spaces, support services, staffing, and technology systems within your institution and with external partners. This reduces costs while improving outcomes such as retention, graduation, and career placement rates.

From Volume 53 Number 3 | April–June 2025

Abstract: Colleges and universities have a traditional way to meet new needs. When there is a new research initiative, degree program, or student support function, institutions add space. Despite good intentions, their siloed structures, poor strategic planning, and history of continuous expansion mean that institutions adapt by adding. The result: Campuses are overbuilt and underutilized. Instead of shared spaces and seamless, supportive experiences, we’re left with sprawling campuses and spiraling costs. With enrollments, research funding, and our climate all changing, it’s time for a new model and a new mantra: Grow in place rather than add more space.

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Conference Presentations

Published
May 20, 2025

Delivering a Renovated Learning Commons for an Engaged Academic Community

Abstract: Integrated planning is essential for delivering campus facilities that support institutional vision and create a strong student academic experience. Juniata College was at a crossroads related to vision and curriculum direction while it was launching a comprehensive campaign that prioritized a library renovation. This session will focus on one provost's vision for planning and designing a learning commons around a new curriculum and share post-occupancy data to define what worked. Come learn how the planning, funding, and design process behind this inclusive facility has dramatically increased library use by students, faculty, and outside groups.

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Report

Published
October 26, 2022

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Smart Building, Smart Campus

By: Angela Foss, Autodesk (previously of Southern New Hampshire University)

This is a SCUP Fellow Research Project Final Report for the 2019–2020 program. This report explores the hypothesis that user-centered design would better address STEM student needs and could increase the likelihood of a broader adoption of remote labs.
Abstract: “Will innovative environments like a smart building expand STEM education and reach more underrepresented groups? If technology can support remote work, then why haven’t the previous proofs of concept become fully adopted?” The author pursued these questions through her SCUP Fellows research, exploring the hypothesis that user-centered design would better address STEM student needs and could increase the likelihood of a broader adoption of remote labs. Although the COVID-19 pandemic required a hard pivot in her research plan, she was able to leverage the world's new focus on remote activities and work with students to design a prototype mobile application for a digital, interactive twin of a STEM building on campus.

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Partner Content

Published
October 1, 2022

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Use Evidence to Plan Facilities That Drive Student Success

By: Elliot Felix

In this article, the author draws upon research from his book How to Get the Most Out of College to highlight the evidence that campus planners and designers can use to help drive student success.
Abstract: Colleges and universities are in the midst of a transition from an access mindset to a success mindset, and campus facilities can play a role in this shift. Institutions don’t have to guess at how—a large body of research can and should inform how we plan, design, and operate our campuses. In this article, the author draws upon research from his book How to Get the Most Out of College to highlight the evidence that campus planners and designers can use to help drive student success.

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Webinar Recordings

Published
September 21, 2021

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Libraries in Shaping the Future of Higher Education

Part Three: Libraries as Place in Institutional Transformation

By: Nicholas Santilli (Host), Society for College and University Planning | Lynn Priddy (Moderator), Claremont Lincoln University | Adriene I. Lim, University of Maryland College Park | Brian Smith, Boston College | Elliot Felix, brightspot strategy

In what ways will libraries continue to be the intellectual hubs where users interact with ideas in both physical and virtual environments to expand learning and facilitate the creation of new knowledge?
Abstract: In what ways will libraries continue to be the intellectual hubs where users interact with ideas in both physical and virtual environments to expand learning and facilitate the creation of new knowledge? The pandemic has illustrated the power of place and the need for the post-pandemic campus to integrate academic activities for lifelong learning and research.

This conversation will explore the place of the library to convene people for impactful connections, and the new emerging and transformational role of libraries as learning commons that shape the overall campus as a network for collaboration.

This is part three of a three-part webinar series.

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Conference Recordings

Published
July 16, 2021

2021 Annual Conference | July 2021

Supporting the Whole Student

New Models for Integrated Learning Centers

By: Jonathan Eldridge, College of Marin | Kelly Sanford, brightspot strategy | David Schnee, Group 4 Architecture Research | Stacey Thompson, Chabot College

In this session, we’ll share how the College of Marin and Chabot College's integrated learning centers are serving changing student populations using an inclusive library design approach.
Abstract: Even as 'non-traditional' students become the norm at community colleges, too many campus spaces and services fail to meet their needs. Inclusive engagement strategies can help ensure that we design for today's students. We'll share how the College of Marin and Chabot College's integrated learning centers are serving changing student populations using an inclusive library design approach. You'll learn how incorporating inclusive engagement and outreach in your planning process can result in facilities that allow students to better navigate the 'hidden curriculum' of college life and strengthen campus cohesion.

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Conference Recordings

Published
October 19, 2020

2020 North Central Regional Conference | October 2020

Simulation and Partnerships

Immersive Public Safety Training Comes to Campus

By: Jay Johnson, Principal, Legat Architects | John Lang, Director, Cuyahoga Community College District | David L. Potts, Healthcare Studio Director, DS Architecture | Jamie Tavano, Commander, Cuyahoga Community College District

This session will explore trends and partnership development strategies around simulation-based training facilities for first responder students and professionals.
Abstract: Involving trainers in training facilities planning can enhance an institution’s curricula, better prepare students and law enforcement personnel for real-life situations, and generate revenue from outside agencies seeking enhanced training. This session will explore trends and partnership development strategies around simulation-based training facilities for first responder students and professionals. Today’s national conversation emphasizes community-based policing, domestic terrorism, and natural disasters; we’ll share how projects like Cuyahoga Community College’s public safety training village addresses these issues. Join us to learn how experiential training programs can enable your institution to emerge as a regional and national leader in public safety learning.

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Conference Recordings

Published
October 5, 2020

2020 Southern Regional Conference | October 2020

Tour: The University of South Florida’s (USF) Center for Advanced Medical Learning & Simulation (CAMLS)

Saving Lives Through Healthcare Simulation

By: Haru Okuda, USF Health CAMLS | Phill Wortham, USF Health CAMLS | Colleen Reiner, USF Health CAMLS | Paul Ayres, USF Health CAMLS

The University of South Florida’s (USF) Center for Advanced Medical Learning & Simulation (CAMLS) is a world-class facility dedicated to simulation-based healthcare education, training, and developing innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes and reduce preventable medical errors.
Abstract: The University of South Florida’s (USF) Center for Advanced Medical Learning & Simulation (CAMLS) is a world-class facility dedicated to simulation-based healthcare education, training, and developing innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes and reduce preventable medical errors. This virtual tour will reveal how the 90,000 square foot CAMLS facility’s design enables easy integration of classroom and simulation-based learning as well as its important role in the economic development of Tampa’s urban core. Join us for a look inside the facility that attracts learners from around the globe because of its reputation as an invaluable tool for students, faculty, and practitioners.

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Conference Recordings

Published
March 16, 2020

2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2020

Make No Little Plans

Multi-Scale Transformative Planning Implementation

By: Cooper Melton, Associate Principal, Ayers Saint Gross | Terence McCann, Director of Planning, Energy & Sustainability, Towson University | Eric Zahn, Senior Associate, Ayers Saint Gross

Master plans are more than a campus-wide tool, and with thoughtful planning and execution, institutions can craft a vision tailored to student needs related to housing, dining, and the co-curricular student experience.
Abstract: An institution's success is intrinsically linked to that of its students. High-quality living/learning spaces play a critical role in supporting student achievement, building campus community, and bolstering recruitment and retention. Master plans are more than a campus-wide tool, and with thoughtful planning and execution, institutions can craft a vision tailored to student needs related to housing, dining, and the co-curricular student experience. Using concrete examples, this session will illustrate how student experience-driven planning and creative implementation strategies can bolster student success while using institutional resources more effectively.

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Conference Recordings

Published
March 16, 2020

2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2020

Creating Empathy-Driven Design Collaborations with Virtual Reality

By: Amy Eichenberger, Senior Project Manager, University of Virginia | Lauren Shirley, Architect, VMDO Architects | Matthew Trowbridge, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health and Associate Research Director for the, University of Virginia School of Medicine

We will demonstrate how we incorporated VR into stakeholder engagement for the University of Virginia's Student Health and Wellness Center to address health outcomes, promote student learning, and collaborate with interdisciplinary partners across campus.
Abstract: Multiple entities within institutions often have competing values, but virtual reality (VR) simulation can help overcome this challenge by creating an accessible platform for building a collective vision. We will demonstrate how we incorporated VR into stakeholder engagement for the University of Virginia's Student Health and Wellness Center to address health outcomes, promote student learning, and collaborate with interdisciplinary partners across campus. Encouraging stakeholders to virtually test a space's impact on health and learning will help you to advance decision-making, leverage diverse expertise, and capture empathy-driven insight to create a more efficient and intelligent design process at your institution.

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