Learning Resources

Abstract: California State Polytechnic University, Pomona was an early signatory of a climate neutrality pledge. This article draws lessons from the university’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction planning effort by explaining the planning process and the plan features. Three themes are explored: (1) creation of the emissions baseline and targets, (2) strategy selection, and (3) the plan’s relationship with the broader change process. The article concludes with suggestions for other campuses entering the GHG planning process.

Abstract: Colleges and universities continue to face significant fiscal challenges in the current recession. In response, institutions have identified innovative facilities planning and management strategies that support institutional growth and, in some cases, institutional survival. Strategies explored include deferring capital expenditures and reducing facilities operating costs, increasing facilities utilization, investing in campus sustainability, adapting to information technology, and leveraging the distressed real estate market. The current financial climate has only added urgency to the trend already underway to explore alternative campus development approaches. Indeed, the expectation should be that even more institutions will embrace these innovations and that these new strategies will become institutionalized as an expanded set of campus development planning tools.

Abstract: The study described in this article examined the development and implementation of a geographic information system (GIS)as a simple sketch-plan tool for analyzing land use, transit routes, student ridership, and bus stop locations in order to improve the effectiveness of transit systems in college towns.The methodology was applied to Auburn University’s Tiger Transit system, which assists students commuting to and from the campus, and the route changes implemented as a result of this analysis significantly improved the system’s effectiveness. Transit ridership increased by 23 percent from 13,000 to 16,000 riders per day. The transit routes were changed to serve almost 90 percent of the student population using fewer buses, compared to 70 percent served before the improvement.In addition, the transit system started to serve commercial locations such as malls, recreational locations, cinemas, and big-box stores.

Abstract: Higher education institutions must be resilient amid vastly increased expectations for sustainable environments, global focus, and technological support. In this article, we challenge all those engaged with planning in higher education to foster shared leadership throughout all levels of the organization as a means to meet these challenges and opportunities. We cite scholarship on shared leadership and provide examples of shared leadership in support of Green, Global, and Google (i.e., above-campus technology) initiatives. We provide a model for shared leadership and conclude with a succinct set of directions for reinventing higher education.

Abstract: Many colleges and universities own considerable areas of land that play a significant role in their research and teaching programs. University forests and other natural resource management units can be a large part of this land base. This land and timber base is a financial asset that, especially in times of financial difficulty, can easily morph from a research and teaching asset to a source of vital revenue, producing an emotional response from faculty, students, and the community. Planning, especially constituency-based participation, can lessen public disputes over the management of these lands. Without proper planning, such disputes are almost ensured.

Abstract: This article focuses on the impact of the Southern Association of Colleges and School’s redesign of regional accreditation processes. The authors describe (1) common patterns among regional accreditation associations,(2) a systems modeling framework to illustrate important components in the planning process as it relates to student learning outcomes, and (3) the fundamental role of peer review in the redesign process.

Abstract: With a renewed interest in finding innovative solutions to various social issues and problems both at home and around the world, university students are seeking the opportunity to build entrepreneurial skill sets and learn how to apply them for the common good. Despite the student excitement surrounding this topic, considerable confusion persists around what exactly social entrepreneurship is and where its most suitable academic home should be. This article explores the variety of definitions of social entrepreneurship and the arguments regarding its academic home; it suggests a conceptualization of social entrepreneurship that would situate it broadly in the curriculum rather than limiting it to one disciplinary home.