Learning Resources

Abstract: The management of change and the evaluation of performance outcomes in higher education are most successful when a set of reference institutions against which to benchmark is identified. This article discusses a method by which a focal institution can identify other institutions that are most similar to itself. This methodology identifies the nearest institutional neighbors using a balanced set of measures from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). A case study is used to demonstrate the methodology. Readers will find this methodology to be robust and flexible, as well as easy to understand and explain to others. It is a hybrid method that integrates judgment and analytical techniques.

Abstract: College and university leaders currently face the most challenging fiscal, monetary, and legislative climate in memory. Leaders must manage the academic and financial resources of the enterprise with far more deft than their predecessors. For many campuses, additional resources will need to be created from within the existing financial boundaries of the institution. The overhead coverage matrix presented in the article is positioned as a tool to assist in making decisions related to strategic resource management. To demonstrate the utility of the overhead coverage matrix, a hypothetical example of resource planning is presented as a walkthrough.

Abstract: In this article we discuss the organizational impact of an academic unit’s move from an old adapted structure to a new building constructed specifically to meet its needs. We emphasize the interaction of user agency and building influence as the faculty sought ways to enact group values and goals in a new space that promoted some and frustrated others. In conclusion we discuss specific examples of the interaction between agency and influence and propose steps that planners and users might take prior to and following a building transition to better promote congruence between the purposes of academic units and the spaces that support them.

Abstract: In an effort to remain relevant and responsive to evolving developments in higher education, academic libraries are transforming existing spaces to meet the current and future needs of their students. By incorporating the specific programmatic elements of a learning commons with a focus on the institution’s unique demographics and goals, collegiate libraries will be better positioned as collaborative and flexible interdisciplinary resources. In this article, Bond Architects describes the process and outcomes of a library planning study conducted with St. Louis Community College’s David L. Underwood Library on the Florissant Valley campus.