Learning Resources

Abstract: This article focuses on the future physical layout of the university in view of the profound social and cultural changes of our time that are affecting the structure of higher education in general and universities in particular. We suggest that the basic architectural prototypes of university design should be re-examined in view of these changes. The main issues related to the characteristics of contemporary (current) society are identified, and their implications on the institutional and spatial structure of the university are analyzed. The article concludes with a methodological generation of alternative scenarios for the physical structure of the university of the future.

Abstract: This article explains the various steps taken by Cornell University to create a Freshmen Campus on their North Campus. It first explores the reasoning about the decision to create a Freshmen Campus and then explains the process whereby the plan was developed. It compares the developed new physical plan to other campuses as well. Within the article are planning guidelines for designing new freshmen residence halls and dining facilities.

Abstract: Colleges and universities are faced with increasing demands for accountability and performance data with respect to faculty activity and productivity from diverse audiences and constituencies, ranging from academic planners and legislators to parents and taxpayers. This article argues that different audiences have different information needs and that a one-size-fits-all approach to describing faculty activity and productivity is both inappropriate and potentially harmful. Concrete strategies are proposed for providing appropriate information to these disparate groups.

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: Examines traditional assumptions underlying space management and proposes an alternative approach to projecting space use. Specifically, the author recommends making projections based on space per faculty rather than space per student, and then comparing these projections with the space allocation at peer institutions. Problems with traditional methods of space allocation are discussed, as is the process of implementing this approach and identifying comparable institutions.

Abstract: Book review of Truth and Consequences: Colleges and Universitites Meet Public Crises, by Jerrold Footlick. ACE/Oryx Press, 1997. 192 pages. ISBN 0-89774-970-7. Pull quotes: "The press is not likely to change how it operates, so universities need to learn how to deal with the media more skillfully."

Abstract: Book Review: Privacy and the Handling of Student Information in the Electronic Networked Environments of Colleges and Universities. CAUSE, 1997.52 pages

Abstract: Escalation of university-community tension across the nation has generated widespread investigation and speculation by planners into the possible causes. Much of the speculation centered on "campus form" as a significant variable. Did the physical size and shape of the campus and its buildings influence tensions or the lack thereof? Was physical dispersal of the campus preferable to the fortress-like enclave of the traditional urban campus? In search of answers, Educational Facilities Laboratories commissioned a team of researchers at the University of Cincinnati--Robert Carroll, a sociologist, and planning professors Hayden B. May and Samuel V. Noe, Jr.--to undertake a study of the phenomenon. Their conclusions are available in a report available from Professor Noe, Department of Community Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, and are summarized by the editor in the following article.