Learning Resources

Book Review: Broke

The Racial Consequences of Underfunding Public Universities

By: Karen Merritt, PhD

From Volume 50 Number 1 | October–December 2021

Abstract: by Laura T. Hamilton and Kelly Nielsen
The University of Chicago Press
294 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-60540-1 (cloth)
ISBN-13:978-0-226-74745-3 (paper)
ISBN-13: 978-0-226-74759 (e-book)

Institutions Mentioned: University of California-Merced, University of California-Riverside
Planning Types: Strategic Enrollment Management Planning, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Planning
Tags: Attracting and Retaining Underrepresented Students, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Enrollment Management, Funding, Governmental Policies and Regulations, Public Institution, Racial Equity, Underserved Students

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Teetering on the Demographic Cliff, Part 1

Prepare Now for the Challenging Times Ahead

By: Bryan C. Harvey, EdD

A long-term decline in birth rates raises fundamental planning questions for higher education as the pool of 18-year-olds contracts after 2025. How can planners and leaders use the time we have to prepare for some of the most wrenching changes in a generation?

From Volume 49 Number 4 | July–September 2021

Abstract: A long-term decline in birth rates raises fundamental planning questions for higher education as the pool of 18-year-olds contracts after 2025. This Planning for Higher Education series explores how planners and leaders can use the time we have to prepare for some of the most wrenching changes in a generation. This article, Part 1, surveys the planning horizon as we emerge from COVID-19 and describes the challenges ahead. Part 2 considers specific planning strategies institutions can adopt to meet the challenge. Part 3 tackles perhaps the most daunting challenge: how to mobilize institutions to actually do what needs to be done, however inconvenient (or worse) that may be.

Planning Types: Strategic Enrollment Management Planning
Tags: Cost of Higher Ed, COVID-19, Demographics, Enrollment Management, Funding, Resiliency, Shrinking Pool of Potential Students, Student Demographics, Trends External to Higher Ed, US

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Prioritizing Campus Diversity Budgets

DEI Funding Has Mostly Survived the Post-Pandemic Cuts

By: Jeffery L. Wilson, PhD, Gerron Scott, MEd, and Reginald L. Stroble, EdD

Researchers learned that if diversity initiatives were a strategic priority for an institution, the 2020 financial crisis did little to reduce budget allocations.

From Volume 49 Number 4 | July–September 2021

Abstract: In 2013, the article Planning for the Future: The Impact on the Public University Diversity Budget in Time of Recession reported the impact of the 2008 recession on college and university student affairs diversity unit budgets. Colleges are again faced with another economic downturn with looming budget cuts. The purpose of this article is to revisit the idea of whether primarily student affairs diversity units are hit harder than other institutional units in fiscal cuts and the potential effect that current events related to diversity programming initiatives have had on campus planning. The article explores the status of these budgets during fiscal uncertainty and the social awareness around campus-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion and its prioritization.

Planning Types: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Planning, Resource Planning
Tags: Budget / Finance, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Higher Ed Trends, Original Research, Racial Equity, Resource Allocation, Trends External to Higher Ed

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Book Review: Entrepreneuring the Future of Higher Education

Radical Transformation in Times of Profound Change

By: Lynn Priddy, PhD

From Volume 49 Number 3 | April–June 2021

Abstract: Entrepreneuring the Future of Higher Education: Radical Transformation in Times of Profound Change
by Mary Landon Darden
Rowman & Littlefield: Lanham, MD: 2021
202 pages
ISBN: 978-1-4758-5494-7

Planning Types: Strategic Planning, Resource Planning
Tags: Entrepreneurship, Funding, Innovation, Organizational Change, Recovery Planning, Resiliency

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Leveraging Institutional Planning to Benefit Latinx Students

Racially Disaggregated and Actionable Data Improve Community College Transfer Success

By: Eric R. Felix, PhD

How can institutional planners make a difference for underrepresented minority students? Senior administrators at East Los Angeles College addressed inequities in Latinx student transfer rates with data-backed culturally-relevant strategies.

From Volume 49 Number 2 | January–March 2021

Abstract: California Community Colleges, since 2014, have explicitly targeted retention, transfer, and completion outcomes through a mandated planning process supported by newly-allocated fiscal resources. The policy focuses on equity-driven institutional planning that identifies and addresses disparities for specific groups (e.g., Latinx students, foster youths, veterans). This article shares insight from five years of case study research, exploring how senior administrators address Latinx student transfer inequity through new culturally-relevant strategies. Within California, Latinx students comprise the largest share of transfer-aspirants, but they have significantly lower rates of academic success. Key lessons are shared to leverage planning efforts to improve outcomes for underrepresented minority students.

Institutions Mentioned: East Los Angeles College
Planning Types: Academic Planning, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Planning
Tags: Community College, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Governmental Policies and Regulations, Implementation, Racial Equity, Student Demographics, Student Success, Student Support Services

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‘Colorblind-Spots’ in Campus Design

Planners and Architects Can Offer Solutions That Center on Social Justice

By: Amara H. Pérez, PhD

Educational leaders are noting that conventional campus design planning efforts have neglected to include the voices of historically underserved communities. Socio-spatial inquiry can help institutions offer an equity approach to inclusivity and authentic engagement.

From Volume 49 Number 1 | October–December 2020

Abstract: To gain a broader understanding of how educational equity is linked to campus design, architects and planners must critically examine community engagement practices. Using critical race theory (CRT) as a framework has exposed racial exclusion and colorblind practices in traditional planning processes. While outreach strategies have received greater scrutiny, less examined are the questions that direct those activities. If the prevailing understanding of a design problem is informed by colorblind inquiry, then design solutions hold little promise to improve social impact on communities most affected by educational inequity. Socio-spatial inquiry offers an equity approach to inclusive outreach and authentic engagement.

Planning Types: Campus Planning, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Planning
Tags: Community Engagement, Engaging Stakeholders, Facilities Design, Facilities Planning, Racial Equity

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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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If Tuition Rises . . .

. . . Does Racial and Ethnic Minority Student Enrollment Plummet?

By: QianQian Yu

When the cost of American higher education goes up, access to economic opportunity, social mobility, and positive academic outcomes are, subsequently, restricted for students of color. Campus admissions and retention planning professionals are first witnesses to the inequality.

From Volume 48 Number 1 | October–December 2019

Abstract: This article explores the impact of tuition increases on student retention and higher education admission and retention planning for racial and ethnic minorities. Research shows that the racial and ethnic minority student population on campus is negatively affected by tuition increases. Literature is examined for potential impacts of tuition increases on a student’s decision of school choice. And although literature provides little in the way of recommendations for resolving the issues associated with tuition increases, this article offers some suggestions for student retention planning.

Planning Types: Student Affairs Planning, Strategic Enrollment Management Planning, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Planning
Tags: Cost of Higher Ed, Racial Equity, Student Retention, Tuition Pricing, Underserved Students

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
July 1, 2018

Institutional Expenditures and State Economic Factors Influencing 2012–2014 Public University Graduation Rates

By: Brian T Hester, Terry T. Ishitani

A better understanding of how to allocate different types of institutional expenditures for maximum return on investment may positively influence six-year graduation rates.

From Volume 46 Number 4 | July–September 2018

Planning Types: Resource Planning
Tags: Funding, Performance-Based Funding, Student Success

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Planning for Higher Education Journal

Published
April 1, 2018

A Framework for Planning Organizational Diversity

Applying Multicultural Practice in Higher Education Work Settings

By: Jeffery L. Wilson

Cox’s model is used to determine whether a unit is on its way to becoming an effective multicultural organization, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.

From Volume 46 Number 3 | April–June 2018

Abstract: The study described in this article investigated diversity in a unit within a postsecondary institution using the model described by Cox in Creating the Multicultural Organization by verifying the unit’s view of diversity, examining existing strategies used for diversity, evaluating consistencies, and identifying areas of improvement. The study included an analysis of unit employees to verify broad diversity by race and gender and an interview with senior leadership about the strategic plan for the unit on matters related to diversity. Overall analysis showed that the unit is doing better than most peer institutions in hiring female and minority candidates for positions. However, there are gaps in the unit’s approach to diversity that impact its ability to be an effective multicultural organization.

Planning Types: Strategic Planning, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Planning
Tags: Athletic Department, Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Organizational Culture, Original Research, Racial Equity, Unit Planning

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