Learning Resources

Telling the Untold Stories

George Mason University Frames the Conversation Around Its Institutional Namesake and His Legacy

By: Cathy Pinskey and Stephanie Wolfgang

Through historical study, outreach, and education, undergraduate students at George Mason University began research that developed into the Enslaved Children of George Mason Project. The goal was to broaden the university narrative, encourage discussion about American ideals of equality and freedom, and transform a complex historical legacy and memorial into an inclusive campus place for reflection and dialogue.

From Volume 48 Number 3 | April–June 2020

Abstract: This article discusses the processes and outcomes of recent efforts at George Mason University (GMU) to acknowledge and celebrate the lives of those individuals enslaved by the institution’s namesake. In an era of intense debate surrounding the legacies of historical figures in the United States, GMU seeks to set the example for one approach to dealing with the conversations: community-fostering dialogue. We discuss the use of sculptural elements to create a new monument that sits in discourse with an existing statue of George Mason IV, highlighting how undergraduate student research efforts can be leveraged to address topics of value to today’s campus communities.

Institutions Mentioned: George Mason University
Planning Types: Campus Planning, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Planning
Tags: Active Learning, Engaging Stakeholders, Landscape / Open Space, Racial Equity

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Promoting Engagement in Strategic Planning

Southeast Community College Used FAST Goals to Capture Stakeholder Interest

By: Paul Illich and Shawna Herwick

Creating a positive, reflective, inclusive, and transparent institutional climate facilitated improved engagement in and ownership of strategic and departmental planning. The process of using FAST goals (frequently discussed, ambitious, specifically measured, and transparent) produced constructive outcomes.

From Volume 48 Number 3 | April–June 2020

Abstract: Southeast Community College (SCC) transformed its departmental planning by embedding a cultural goal within its strategic plan. The goal focused on creating a positive, reflective, inclusive, and transparent institutional climate—through the implementation of departmental FAST goals. That goal type refers to those that are frequently discussed, ambitious, specifically measured, and transparent, which represents an alternative to the commonly used SMART goal-setting approach. This article describes how a change of climate at SCC set the stage for the conversion to FAST goals—and improved engagement in and ownership of strategic and departmental planning.

Institutions Mentioned: Southeast Community College
Planning Types: Strategic Planning
Tags: Community College, Organizational Culture, Planning Processes

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Voices from the Field: Episode #3

From Crisis to Collaboration and Creativity

By: Mike Martin, Associate Dean Science, Math, and Health, John Carroll University

Mike Martin, Associate Dean Science, Math, and Health at John Carroll University discusses how the administration addressed the first few weeks of the COVID-19 crisis and how they have creatively shifted gears with students and faculty toward what’s next.

Abstract: The past month has been trying for all of higher education. How do we transition our constituents from crisis to collaboration in order to meet the needs of the entire campus community? In this conversation, Mike Martin, Associate Dean Science, Math, and Health at John Carroll University discusses how the administration addressed the first few weeks of the COVID-19 crisis and how they have creatively shifted gears with students and faculty toward what’s next.

Institutions Mentioned: John Carroll University
Planning Types: Academic Planning, Continuity Planning, Student Affairs Planning
Tags: Community Engagement, Continuity Planning, COVID-19, Engaging Stakeholders, Response Planning, Student Success

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Totally Virtual

Northcentral University’s School of Business Succeeded in Integrated Strategic Planning in an All-Distance Environment

By: Tammi Cooper, Abigail G. Scheg

In the context of a fully online institution, how do you collaborate to strategically plan? You leverage online tools and techniques to keep widely distributed and separated-by-a-distance team members engaged in the process.

From Volume 48 Number 2 | January–March 2020

Abstract: This article presents a case study of the virtual strategic planning process at Northcentral University’s School of Business. Anchoring in practices proven successful in a face-to-face environment, we describe the unique challenges of effective strategic planning for an individual school—when complicated by a solely virtual, distributed environment. We share the tools and techniques we leveraged for each phase of our work, which facilitated overcoming the distance among members of our school community.

Institutions Mentioned: Northcentral University
Planning Types: Strategic Planning
Tags: Business School Education, Online Learning, Planning Processes

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Challenging “If You Build It, They Will Come”

Success of Active Learning Is About More Than the Space

By: Jeffrey Ashley, Susan Frostén, Jeffrey Klemens

Active learning spaces can be catalysts for improved teaching and learning. Yet the key to planning for and effectively implementing them on campus is faculty who are willing to change, accept, and evolve their instructional delivery.

From Volume 48 Number 2 | January–March 2020

Abstract: Five years ago, Thomas Jefferson University East Falls Campus (formerly Philadelphia University) planned and implemented an initiative to more mindfully design spaces that optimize active and collaborative teaching and learning. For active learning spaces to be true change agents at the institutional level, we suggest colleges and universities ground an active learning space initiative in the institution’s mission and strategic goals, designate a coordinator to involve stakeholders throughout the entire project, identify faculty members willing to participate, and build a network of support structures within which those faculty members can share their ideas and experiences.

Institutions Mentioned: Thomas Jefferson University
Planning Types: Academic Planning, Campus Planning
Tags: Active Learning Environments, Engaging Stakeholders, Faculty, Learning Environments, Teaching and Learning

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Conference Recordings

Published
March 16, 2020

2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2020

Creating Empathy-Driven Design Collaborations with Virtual Reality

By: Amy Eichenberger, Senior Project Manager, University of Virginia | Lauren Shirley, Architect, VMDO Architects | Matthew Trowbridge, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and Public Health and Associate Research Director for the, University of Virginia School of Medicine

We will demonstrate how we incorporated VR into stakeholder engagement for the University of Virginia's Student Health and Wellness Center to address health outcomes, promote student learning, and collaborate with interdisciplinary partners across campus.

Abstract: Multiple entities within institutions often have competing values, but virtual reality (VR) simulation can help overcome this challenge by creating an accessible platform for building a collective vision. We will demonstrate how we incorporated VR into stakeholder engagement for the University of Virginia's Student Health and Wellness Center to address health outcomes, promote student learning, and collaborate with interdisciplinary partners across campus. Encouraging stakeholders to virtually test a space's impact on health and learning will help you to advance decision-making, leverage diverse expertise, and capture empathy-driven insight to create a more efficient and intelligent design process at your institution.

Institutions Mentioned: University of Virginia-Main Campus
Planning Types: Campus Planning
Tags: Collaborative Design, Engaging Stakeholders, Facilities Design, Medical / Allied Health Facility, SCUP 2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, Simulation

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Conference Recordings

Published
March 16, 2020

2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference | March 2020

Master Planning Engagement Strategies for Underserved and Underrepresented Students

By: James Kolker, University Architect/Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Washington University in St. Louis | Christiana Moss, Principal, Studio Ma

Learn about new master planning engagement and assessment tools that can reveal and remedy disparities that underserved and underrepresented students encounter.

Abstract: Underserved and underrepresented students form a large and rapidly growing portion of student bodies, but current planning practices do not address their needs. This session will help you create meaningful change at your institution to accommodate these students by exploring new practices for social equity in campus planning and building design. Come learn about new engagement and assessment tools that can reveal and remedy disparities that students encounter and use them on your campus to deliver a better experience for marginalized students.