Learning Resources

Abstract: Greening the Ivory Tower and Degrees That Matter provide an enlightening case study of Tufts University’s sustainability initiatives over the past 17 years. While Greening the Ivory Tower could be aptly titled Lessons Learned from the Field, its sequel, Degrees That Matter, could be renamed More Lessons Learned. As companion pieces, these works offer comprehensive and accessible information for creating a campus environmental sustainability program that addresses waste reduction, energy efficiency, transportation reform, and purchasing practices.

Abstract: Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accreditation has had an important role in improving medical education as well as in verifying the quality of education in the nation's medical schools. In this manner, it also serves the interests of the public. Every eight years, medical schools undergo an accreditation process to determine whether they are in compliance with LCME standards. However, instead of resorting to cyclic episodes of compliance, medical schools should be in constant conformity with accreditation standards. This can be accomplished by establishing a formative accreditation process that ensures awareness of new standards or revisions and maintains ongoing compliance.

Abstract: This paper reports on a study of changing demands for space in United Kingdom (UK) higher education. Physical spaces that universities require are related to their functions in complex ways, and the connections between space and academic performance are not well understood. No simple algorithm can calculate a single university's space needs, but a number of identified drivers frame space considerations. Space designations are blurring, increasingly multi-functional, and exploited more efficiently. The planning of institutional estates must be incorporated into strategic planning initiatives if institutions are to achieve their academic objectives.

Abstract: When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Southeastern Louisiana University was spared the brunt of the storm and was fortunate that most structures on campus remained intact. However, the storm still affected the campus for weeks. This article reflects on the experiences of university leaders and facility managers as they provided shelter to over 3,000 disaster relief workers and worked to reopen the university's doors to faculty, staff, and students and resume normal academic operations. Insight into the management of campus facilities located outside the core geographic area affected by a natural disaster will assist other campus leaders in their disaster planning efforts.

Abstract: This study examined the quality and the factors which contributed positively and negatively to the quality of some selected students residential facilities in Nigeria. A user-perspective approach was adopted. The quality of the selected facilities was examined at three levels of environmental interaction and from architectural and social dimensions. Twenty purpose-built halls of residence were selected from four Universities in Nigeria and two thousand students were selected from these halls using the stratified method of sampling. The results revealed that students’ halls of residence were perceived to be below average in overall quality and the attributes which contributed the most to this low level of quality were the socio-physical characteristics. Out of the three levels of interaction examined, the bedroom was the only level that was assessed as poor in quality. The results further showed that the social unit size defined at the level of the bedroom as well as the bedroom for studying were the factors, which contributed most negatively to overall quality, signifying their importance. Finally, the implications of the findings for planning and designing future residential facilities were highlighted.

Abstract: Universities with varying budgets and in quite different urban or rural locations look to mixed-use developments off campus to attract students and professors.