Learning Resources

Abstract: Georgia College & State University, a public liberal arts institution, began an integrated,
collaborative, and future-focused strategic planning process during a time of uncertainty (COVID-19, enrollment declines, financial shortfalls, etc.). This planning included shared leadership across campus to develop and implement the plan, data-informed decision-making by a diverse group of steering committee members representing all areas of campus, visits to strategically identified aspirant universities, and ongoing stakeholder engagement that included student input. These strategies leveraged the inherent qualities of a liberal arts institution while addressing the challenges and opportunities that exist in public higher education.

Abstract: In a dynamic higher education landscape, attracting and retaining students becomes paramount amid projected enrollment declines. This article explores Texas Wesleyan University’s journey in assessing student life needs on campus, engaging key stakeholders, and implementing an expedited, cost-effective mini-master plan design process. The authors demonstrate how the university and design team gathered research and developed and presented program recommendations to enhance TWU’s overall student experience and meet evolving student needs.

Abstract: How can the campus best support student development in a safe, yet open environment? On an urban campus, these concerns are intensified: There is much more localized activity for students to engage with in their city environment, and many more stakeholders influence how the institution can assert itself in that environment.

In this 2022-2023 SCUP Fellow research report, Joel Pettigrew reflects on how campus edge dynamics and student sense of security play out at several urban campuses. Pettigrew weaves together his operational understanding of campus life with a design understanding of how planners and architects approach the campus to explore how these “two languages” inform student security and well-being, and notes in conclusion that there are many research threads yet to follow.

Abstract: The 2023 SCUP Campus Facilities Inventory (CFI) survey was the third iteration of the survey providing new insights about the current state of campus facilities and how institutions across the country are thinking about the future of campus and facility planning. This webinar will be hosted by Buro Happold Advisory (formerly brightspot strategy) SCUP’s CFI partner, and will review key findings from the survey. The hosts will then engage a panel of survey participants in a discussion about the CFI and campus planning at their institution.

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: 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: As leaders of colleges and universities continue to analyze changes today and plan their campuses for the future, the knowledge and insight from the SCUP community is critical. The 2023 Campus Facilities Inventory (CFI) report’s valuable facilities benchmarking data will help college and university leaders understand not only what they have now and how it compares, but also how things might change in the future.

The CFI report consists of two sections that provide a holistic picture of today while enabling institutions to crowdsource a vision for the future: current space use data and recent and planned changes to campus facilities.

Data are reported only in aggregate, protecting the privacy of each institution. Reporting focuses on findings and comparison tables by institution type (e.g., four-year public, four-year private, and two-year public), location (e.g., urban, suburban, rural), and size (i.e., in-person student headcount).

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.

Abstract: Smith College commissioned MNLA to develop its 20-year Landscape Master Plan to address climate change impacts, inclusiveness, and pedagogy. The process was grounded in robust campus engagement over 18 months. More than 1,600 students and alumnae provided input through online mapping tools and in-person workshops that used cutouts and puzzles to reimagine the open spaces on campus. Staff and faculty were interviewed in person or via phone on ways to incorporate scholarship in the landscape, and 6,400 members of the campus community were reached through Instagram. An online magazine published by MNLA kept the campus community updated on findings, alternative plans, and conclusions.