Learning Resources

Abstract: When change in higher education isn’t managed in a human-centered manner, institutional leaders are unlikely to see the outcomes they intended to achieve. That’s because they didn’t invest enough in involving and supporting the individuals expected to operationalize a new strategy. Nobody wins in these situations: Executives, employees, and students all lose out on the benefits a change initiative could have produced. In this book excerpt, the author shares why strong change leadership must be at the helm of cultivating an environment where innovation is embraced and managed with compassion for the humans who are being asked to think and work differently.

Abstract: Community collaboration hasn't always been a priority in design education. This session will showcase a program that leverages the public school system as a learning environment for professionals and graduate students in architecture to identify socioeconomic opportunities. The Architecture + Education Program provides institutions opportunities to work actively with the communities they serve, and raises awareness of design careers among public school kids to increase and diversify its talent pipeline. This unique program involves multiple generations, including design professionals alongside public school and university students and instructors. Join us to discover opportunities for innovative community programs in your own backyard.

Abstract: This session will highlight how a collaborative team promoted innovation to enable decision making throughout the Plant Sciences Initiative design process at North Carolina State University (NCSU). Built pre-pandemic, this future-proofed building continues to successfully serve as an energizing hub for innovation. NCSU's integrated planning and data-driven process for designing a flexible academic research building has inspired cross-functional collaboration, leading to increased industry partnerships and innovations. Come learn how leveraging benchmarking, analytics, and an integrated planning process can produce a successfully designed, forward-thinking research building.

Abstract: Science and engineering programs continue to grow and attract funding. Strategic planning can maximize new and repurposed space for STEM programs to address aging infrastructure, changing research, evolving student needs, and an uncertain future. To build stakeholder consensus and develop an achievable plan, we'll define key metrics behind the best use of existing space and showcase how specific data-driven tools and analytics transform traditional planning into a living masterplan. By applying a living masterplan and embracing data-driven tools, you'll be able to reach stakeholder consensus sooner and develop more efficient plans that are both implementable and adaptable to future changes.

Abstract: Many institutions have legacy STEM facilities that no longer support their teaching, research, and sustainability goals. The University of Virginia's (UVA) Gilmer Hall and Chemistry Building project provides valuable insight into planning and operating a major renovation for STEM disciplines. This project has strategically repositioned UVA's main science buildings for better outcomes in teaching, research, and high-performance sustainability. Come learn how to balance cost, function, aesthetics, and sustainability in developing the most effective planning and design solutions for major STEM renovations, as well as actively manage these facilities to fully leverage their new capabilities.

Abstract: Higher education is infamously change-resistant. What’s needed is a new methodology: human-centered change. Informed by research and honed by practice, human-centered change is a flexible, pragmatic approach that works within higher education’s unique structures, practices, and culture. This book guides change leaders and practitioners through the application of human-centered change. A practical manual, it provides mid- and senior-level administrators the essential practices, examples, recommendations, and tools they need to lead change in their colleges or universities.

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: Administrators at colleges and universities across the country face mounting concerns over enrollment rates, curricular rigor, and climbing real estate costs. These challenges are particularly daunting for liberal arts institutions, many of which have pivoted or are pivoting to STEM programs out of necessity. Cross-disciplinary colocation strategies can enhance hands-on learning opportunities while optimizing spatial and financial resources. This article explores the planning approach to forming mutually successful partnerships between dissimilar academic programs through mission-oriented cross-functional collaboration, including examples of tools and processes for data-informed decision-making.

Abstract: Community collaboration hasn't always been a priority in design education. This session will showcase a program that leverages the public school system as a learning environment for professionals and graduate students in architecture to identify socioeconomic opportunities. The Architecture + Education Program provides institutions opportunities to work actively with the communities they serve, and raises awareness of design careers among public school kids to increase and diversify its talent pipeline. This unique program involves multiple generations, including design professionals alongside public school and university students and instructors. Join us to discover opportunities for innovative community programs in your own backyard.

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.