Learning Resources

Abstract: Branding is a strategy that many universities have adopted to enhance their competitive position in the marketplace. In this article the author explores the important role that the visual image of the campus can play in any branding strategy. He suggests a variety of measures that can be taken to enhance the visual quality of the institution and indicates which can be most effectively used on various types of campuses as part of an effort to strengthen the university’s brand. He also identifies elements of analytical data needed to inform the decision-making process.

Abstract: The University System of Georgia has radically altered its approach to measuring space utilization. We here present the data set generated by the inaugural run of the new methodology, which shows tremendous variation in campus space profiles across the system. The data provide compelling evidence that thinking differently about space will profoundly affect college and university planning.

Abstract: As with all educational institutions, the visual identity of a Christian college results from both a professional’s design principles and users’ own experiences and associations. While the two may be related, they are by no means the same. A logical symbolic center for many Christian campuses, a chapel facilitates religious activity and carries emotional attachments bound up with the community’s sense of place. However, it is not clear how the community members of a Christian college perceive the importance of their chapel relative to the importance placed on it by an architect’s strong campus design principles.
Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serves as a case study, offering an example of how a college community might regard the importance of a chapel building over and against its architect’s strong design principles. The chapel building was not conceived as a primary expression of the college’s visual identity and thus was only incidentally associated with the architect’s overarching vision for the campus. This case study asks if the community of Calvin College perceives the chapel as a powerful campus placemarker contributing to the current visual identity of the institution. The results of this study illustrate that a chapel building can work as an institutional symbol for a Christian college, representing the institution’s identity even when it stands apart from strong campus design principles.

Abstract: Consortia tend to be groups of either public or private institutions that have formed an alliance that allows them to achieve more collectively than they could individually, and consortial efforts are gaining moment as significant powerhouses in enhancing academic life on campus and reducing administrative expenses. This article examines some of the current consortial models, which have two primary areas of focus: academic affairs and administrative functions. The potential for building academic breadth/depth on campus and the possibility of cost savings offer a powerful incentive for institutions to explore avenues for substantial consortial efforts. This overview includes a question set that should be addressed before embarking on a collaboration.

Abstract: Will online education render the traditional university campus irrelevant? Is there a there there when it comes to online education? What makes the flesh-and-blood, brick-and-mortar material realm still relevant—even essential—to education? While online education has brought with it radical transformation, bringing people together in physical space is and will be essential for student success. The reasons for coming together, however, are changing; institutions must adapt if they are to remain vital. Institutions need to know where they stand. What is their “there”? What can they do “there” that cannot be done online?

Abstract: College and university administrators understand that parking is a necessary and valuable resource. By taking a fresh look at their campus parking resources, planners across the country are using parking to achieve a wide array of objectives, including promoting important institutional values like sustainability. They are also using cutting-edge technologies to improve the quality of life on campus and streamline the administration of campus parking facilities. Furthermore, the emerging trend of privatizing or leasing campus parking offers new opportunities for financing important institutional initiatives. These—and other—trends are helping colleges and universities fully realize the potential of their parking resources.