Learning Resources

Abstract: Times of rapid change can interrupt operations and implementation efforts. Preventing this requires an ability to quickly adapt our programs and offerings to the changing landscape. Unfortunately, operational complexity and the disorienting nature of uncertainty become a hurdle to rapid response. Either we get overwhelmed trying to identify all that needs to change, or we respond haphazardly, missing crucial details.

Contingency planning can help. It is a method for preparing for potential changes that identifies how operations and action plans need to shift in response. It can also be used to respond to changes after they happen.

The Campus Contingency Planner is a template for lightweight, rapid contingency planning. It guides you through a process that identifies the impacts of change, how decisions during contingency planning will be made, and the operational components of programs and offerings that will need to be adapted in response.

Whether you manage student-facing programs (like academic programs or student affairs activities), or direct services that are internally supportive (like space management or IT), the Campus Contingency Planner can help you respond to change with flexibility, minimizing disruption and moving your institution forward.

Abstract: Creative use of campus green space does more than enhance curb appeal; it has a major impact on recruitment, active learning, and student success. The science behind green spaces is based on the idea that exposure to nature can improve performance. Academic green spaces serve as settings for physical activity, recreation, and social interaction, all of which enhance student health and wellbeing through respite from academic life. This session will demonstrate how to maximize the impact of campus green space on student success, focusing on small, practical steps, and develop a plan for future collaborative opportunities in student engagement.

Abstract: As security remains of paramount concern for campus communities, how should institutions thoughtfully engage the urban fabric? Urban campuses are constrained by their verticality and publicly-permeable urban edges. This session will delve into a 2023 SCUP Fellows report with additional updated analysis of campus responses and overreach to protests this past year. In-depth analysis of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles through a lens of student development theory will provide you with insight into student wellbeing and sense of security through campus design.

Abstract: As the University of Houston (UH) plans for its second century, the campus is looking to the 'space between' buildings, such as landscape and public space, for innovative opportunities to expand cross-disciplinary discovery. This session will share how and why UH is remaking its arrival experience, central quad, and campus woodlands to foster social, physical, and mental wellbeing for the campus community. We'll discuss how to balance a 100-year stewardship planning framework with the pace of accelerated research and new buildings, demonstrating how both frames of reference can contribute to a campus's strategic objectives and an innovation mindset.

Abstract: Institutions can align their needs with innovation and insight by creating a strong integration of data and research processes for a data-driven, impactful strategic plan. We'll demonstrate how to build a data-driven strategic plan by applying research methodologies, leveraging public data, optimizing institutional data, and constructing a content analysis. You'll come away from this session with a blueprint to integrate into your own planning processes that will bolster your data skills and provide you with a mechanism to weave together planning with data-driven insights.

Abstract: Colleges and universities are seeking to engage in equitable planning and design processes that uphold institutional values and reflect the needs of broad, diverse audiences to create spaces that inspire innovation. In this session, we'll share how to successfully construct and implement an integrated planning, programming, and design process for the delivery of innovation spaces that extend the mission of community-based campus programs and resources. By developing a planning and design process that partners with key stakeholders, institutions and designers can create interdisciplinary spaces that foster collaboration, innovation, and access for the benefit of students, faculty, and the community.

Abstract: Institutional representatives must consider a variety of perspectives when managing change in the current higher education environment. This session will explore the many ways in which accreditation is an ideal perspective for supporting institutional change. We'll discuss how to leverage the holistic cycle of accreditation, along with a laser focus on regulatory, policy, and legal issues, in ways that positively influence the future direction of institutions, focus on student success, and drive institutional mission.