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: Everyone involved in planning activities will be aware of the use of data in the process. Data-driven planning is ubiquitous in all planning processes but can be a weak spot for many planners. The difficulty for most people is that the very mention of “data” can make eyes glaze over. Some of the least understood and most misused data are student, faculty, and staff headcount and FTE (full-time equivalent). Understanding some critical factors about these data sets can help demystify them and strengthen the planning process.

Abstract: The planning, designing, and building of campus initiatives requires broad and diverse perspectives. This session will present the case for implementing sustainable ways of diversifying the owner, design, and construction industry through emergent data collection. We'll explore the link between diversity and high-performance of project development, process, and teams, and discuss the developing research and data related to owner satisfaction. Join us to find out how diverse and high-performance teams can add to the continuous improvement of processes and create sustainable changes towards a more diverse pipeline of multiple disciplines that impact the campus.

Abstract: Intentional leadership is necessary for moving an organization from a revolving state of reactive whirlwind into a future with integrated strategic focus. This session will discuss leadership principles for moving an organization strategically forward during a period of unprecedented challenge and change. You'll gain insight into using futuring and vision in tandem with internal and external scanning to develop strategic focus, and consider a change-responsive institutional planning framework and strategic planning approach. Come discover how you can help generate the lessons learned and leadership tactics for an intentional future.

Abstract: Higher education leaders carry the responsibility of vision and building new strategic directions for colleges and universities. This session will provide a deep look into one leader's decades of experience and share ways to become a strong, successful administrator at any level. Come learn the ways in which leadership is more than a title and discover how to assess your own skills and knowledge, as well as the best ways to position those findings for current and future roles.

Abstract: The Dr. EJ and Margaret O'Brien Hall at Marquette University showcases the ways in which relationship building between people, disciplines, space types, and contexts advances design to achieve human-purposed, inclusive outcomes for the department and campus. In this session, we'll discuss the new convening, inclusive, student-focused hub for business and innovation leadership and demonstrate how it exemplifies the core tenets of relationship building in navigating campus engagement, design process, and future success. Join us to learn useful strategies around relationship building within your campus communities, collaborative design processes for hybrid learning, intersecting purpose-built and loose-fit design, and post-pandemic student wellbeing.

Abstract: A sense of belonging is critical for student wellbeing, engagement, and academic success. Social research at Marquette University illuminates how students from different identity groups perceive campus places and informs campus planning priorities. Guided by social research and inclusive placemaking, this session highlights strategies, frameworks, and implications for fostering belonging in diverse campus environments. We'll explore participatory mapping and other tactics for assessing campus belonging from a physical place perspective as well as proposing research-informed changes for future policy, operational, and design interventions.