Learning Resources

Abstract: Human education is an experience that has a spatial dimension. To optimize the design/architectural component as a factor of excellence, historically, the coordination of two attitudes at universities has been a vital heritage: utopia and planning. Utopia is the energy used by universities to conceive and evolve their physical establishments. By the process of planning, campuses have undergone a long-term evolution of their built heritage, focusing on those where the hallmark is their human scale. This article illustrates briefly the application of these concepts in five cases, which have been culturally recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites. However, it explores in depth one of those: The University of Virginia.

Abstract: Stanford University's historic Main Quadrangle reflects a unique design and mission as envisioned by the founders and communicated through its architecture. But does this model still contribute to student engagement and learning? We will discuss the pedagogical, civic discourse, and community function of the Stanford Quadrangle and Memorial Church, highlighting perspectives of students, faculty, staff and alumni. This presentation will address how a strong campus identity can create community engagement, facilitate discourse, and influence pedagogy through architecture that recalls the past, is relevant to the present, and can adapt to the future.

Abstract: The sustainability movement in higher education has made considerable headway in the areas of research, campus operations, and community outreach, but has been less successful in bringing about curricular reform. To promote greater thinking about sustainability in the undergraduate curriculum, this essay explores three main questions: What are the implications of sustainability for higher education? What are some noteworthy examples of institutions incorporating sustainability into the curriculum? And, what can we learn from their experiences? The author advocates implementation of a "third order" learning model, emphasizing deep learning, a participative process which takes the form of continual exploration through practice.

Abstract: Universities and colleges across the country are faced with growth in the campus population and the loss of surface parking lots for new buildings. The response of many institutions is to build new garages with the assumption that parking demand ratios will remain the same. Such an approach, however, can be extremely expensive—upwards of $2,000 per net new space annually. In many cases, a mix of parking and demand reduction programs—such as shuttles, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and financial incentives not to drive—can accommodate growth at a lower cost per trip. A balanced approach will also tend to support other goals, from improving town-gown relations to maintaining debt capacity. Demand management strategies have been employed by institutions for many years. However, it is less common for a cost-benefit analysis to be undertaken comparing them with new parking construction. Using examples from universities in California and Colorado, this article demonstrates a methodology to inform basic decisions on the amount of parking required to cater to campus growth, which can be incorporated into campus master planning.

Abstract: The growing ability of private colleges and universities to use a high level of annual endowment spending in support of current operations has been a source of financial strength during much of the past two decades. More recently, however, declining endowments at most colleges have raised concerns about declines in the availability of annual endowment spending. Decreases or stagnation in endowment spending would pose a particular challenge for colleges that have grown most reliant on such endowment support. This article describes these recent changes in endowment support for current operations, analyzes how the budgetary strains have arisen, and suggests ways that colleges may respond to the strains.

Abstract: Green buildings offer many compelling advantages over their conventional counterparts—increased educational performance, lower energy costs, and lower environmental impact, to name a few—so green buildings should be easier to develop. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Several strategies are important to avoid a protracted process. Develop a set of clear environmental performance goals (buildings as pedagogical tools, climate-neutral operations, maximized human performance), use Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) as a gauge of performance, and use the project to reform the campus building process. All of these steps need to involve a range of participants—students, faculty, administration, and facilities staff—to achieve the best results.

Abstract: This article provides a survey of innovative approaches to campus transportation in the United States. The high costs of parking expansion have propelled many institutions toward a transportation demand management strategy, using parking pricing, transit passes for students and employees, and investment in bicycle infrastructure to shift many trips from single-occupant automobiles to other modes of travel. These institutions have experienced multiple benefits, including lower transportation costs, lower environmental impacts, and improved community relations.

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to emphasize the concept of utopia, which universities have used throughout history in developing their “spaces of knowledge.” This concept should continue to be an objective in the 21st century as universities look for paradigms in the architectural layout of their institutions. The implicit principle of this article is that good architecture is a necessary component in achieving educational excellence.

Abstract: Since 1968 Messiah College, a small liberal arts college in Grantham, Pennsylvania, has operated a satellite campus in Philadelphia adjacent to in cooperation with Temple University. The urban satellite brings together the opportunities offered by a small community of scholars and the educational context of a major state university. The progam offers a vaible model linking two distinct types of campuses and locations: the program also provides a model for developing approaches to education which encourages students to cross demographic and cultural boundaires to study in settings which ofetn are considerably different from those to which they are accustomed.