Learning Resources

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: In 2020, California State Polytechnic University (Cal Poly), Humboldt’s transformation to the system’s third polytechnic required a new intersectional approach to campus physical planning that addresses a spectrum of needs for ambitious growth, future ready resilience, and student persistence. Rapid disruptions affected academic access, achievement, and workforce readiness of Generation Z. The polytechnic implementation inspired a planning process that prioritizes people first to address social, environmental, health, and economic challenges. This session will share lessons learned from the Cal Poly Humboldt physical planning process and provide tactical tools for effective stakeholder engagement, data collection, and establishing metrics of gauging success.

Abstract: Effective partnering, internally and externally, and addressing enrollment growth, vitality, and safety during the planning process can make all the difference in plan implementation. The 2017 University of Washington (UW) Bothell and Cascadia College campus master plan demonstrates how clear design principles and a flexible development framework drove rapid progress in realizing a campus vision in under six years. This session will help you identify how strong partnerships forged during a planning process can positively impact capital development, inform innovative capital funding strategies, and rapidly catapult your campus vision into reality.

Abstract: The growth of the University of Calgary’s Veterinary Medicine program has been a catalyst for several initiatives on campus, including the development of a long range plan, creation of an inclusive program, and development of micro degrees. The process of engagement, programming, and design at Vet Med was critical for understanding the urgent needs of the profession and students while being mindful and respectful of the history of place and the indigenous community. This session show how connecting the history of place at a campus master planning and programming level fosters opportunities, success, health, and wellbeing for each student.

Abstract: For colleges and universities to achieve their goals with extremely limited resources, they must rely on constructive partnerships. This session will focus on building those connections for placemaking on campus, which is a critical aspect of activating a successful innovation ecosystem. Activation does not simply happen because a plaza exists; rather, it requires organizational structure, programming, funding models, and partnership. This session will explore cross-disciplinary planning?internally within the institution and with external partners?as well as provide resources for creating a framework for public space activation.

Abstract: Establishing a new college within a university requires coordination with the accrediting body, other university disciplines, the city, donors, and neighboring landowners. We’ll outline and discuss how we navigated the process, challenges, and opportunities related to Duquesne University’s new College of Osteopathic Medicine, including the collaboration with the City of Pittsburgh’s Forbes Avenue Improvement Initiative. Through practical, implementable approaches to growth-focused programming in a new urban facility, this session will offer lessons learned, priorities, and planning tools for flexibility and improvement.

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: As trade schools gain national recognition for their affordability and career-centric focus, Raleigh’s Wake Technical Community College (WTCC) has set a new standard for strategic facilities design by capitalizing on community, industry, and government partnerships. This session will show how WTCC is producing the next generation of innovative automotive repair technicians and leaders through an immersive program that aligns industry partnerships, high-tech education, employment opportunities, and local economic development goals. Discover how WTCC’s new automotive laboratory consolidates diverse programs into one building with agile, collaborative spaces, preparing students for emerging technologies in rapidly changing industries.

Abstract: Integrated planning and design that optimizes development capacity and leverages campus growth can help institutions achieve ambitious resilience goals for net-zero energy and resource conservation for a healthier, more sustainable environment. This session will discuss Princeton University’s ongoing efforts to support an ambitious capital plan, address deferred maintenance, advance climate solutions, and maximize use of campus lands. The path to a sustainable campus future will require institutions to go beyond business-as-usual planning to rethink campus infrastructure—particularly energy, stormwater, and landscapes—and activate high-performance sites and buildings.

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.