Learning Resources

Abstract: Data is a pillar for organizational mission and for driving results. Planners must not undervalue the importance of data-informed decision-making and its link to institutional wellbeing and sustainability. Montgomery College's (MC) integrated planning incorporated robust community input that culminated into a successfully built plan that supports agility and flexibility. MC continuously reminds and educates the campus community about 'what's in it for me' and the benefits of collaborating on this growth mindset. This session will demonstrate how data-driven planning fosters ownership, accountability, buy-in, and increases effectiveness and trustworthiness of institutional decision-making, resulting in positive outcomes and decreased risk.

Abstract: Institutional representatives must consider a variety of perspectives when managing change in the current higher education environment. This session will explore the many ways in which accreditation is an ideal perspective for supporting institutional change. We'll discuss how to leverage the holistic cycle of accreditation, along with a laser focus on regulatory, policy, and legal issues, in ways that positively influence the future direction of institutions, focus on student success, and drive institutional mission.

Abstract: Data science is a rapidly developing discipline and serves as a catalyst for the future development and management of institutional faculties. This session will examine the unique engagement process behind the University of Virginia's (UVA) 'School without Walls', as well as its dynamic programming and design for serving an emerging discipline. This project plays a special role in providing a venue for community and industry interaction and research. We'll explore points of engagement with an expanding faculty throughout the design process, which inspired flexible internal planning, and reflect on the appropriateness of wider contextual influences on the design solution.

Abstract: Institutions can align their needs with innovation and insight by creating a strong integration of data and research processes for a data-driven, impactful strategic plan. We'll demonstrate how to build a data-driven strategic plan by applying research methodologies, leveraging public data, optimizing institutional data, and constructing a content analysis. You'll come away from this session with a blueprint to integrate into your own planning processes that will bolster your data skills and provide you with a mechanism to weave together planning with data-driven insights.

Abstract: Community colleges are facing enrollment declines and demographic shifts. To overcome these challenges, Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) and Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) are implementing innovative initiatives, partnerships, and projects that address declining enrollments and surplus space through integrated planning. In this session, we'll show how urban community colleges are working to attract and retain students while using spatial re-organization to deal with surplus space and leveraging vacant and aging facilities for student services and community spaces.

Abstract: Water-related disasters pose a serious risk to an institution's mission, physical assets, and reputation. While the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Galveston is largely resilient to its harsh weather conditions, some critical threats remain. Its challenging path to water resilience serves as roadmap for other institutions seeking to mitigate risk and increase safety. This session will discuss UTMB's in-place campus climate resilience, its remaining challenges, how its revised master plan sets the course to mitigate flood and water service risks. Join us to discover how this ambitious but practical journey is applicable to all institutions subject to water-related events.

Abstract: Climate commitments and carbon neutrality are becoming top priorities for many campuses. Since building engineering systems account for seventy-to-eighty percent of carbon production, all campus stakeholders are contributors to the future success of emissions goals. Despite established infrastructure, reliance on city utilities, high deferred maintenance, and financial constraints, the University of Louisville (UofL) is pursuing carbon neutrality and is on track to achieve a sixty percent reduction by 2030 and one hundred percent by 2050. This session will share necessary master planning strategies for pursuing carbon neutrality at the campus level, emphasizing the need for rigorous, multi-disciplinary stakeholder engagement.

Abstract: As higher education operates in an increasingly complex world, charting a path forward requires a clear vision. An inclusive, comprehensive strategic planning process for educational programs is both just and necessary for institutions to stay relevant. We'll present a three-phase expedited, practical, inclusive approach that Tufts University used to lead a strategic planning process and develop an educational vision. Join us for experiential, mixed methods to include all voices in the strategic planning process, build community across schools in a decentralized university, and participate in a simulated co-design session.

Abstract: Transforming older campuses into healthy, walkable green environments with high-impact programming requires investments in infrastructure, circulation, and buildings? All while addressing legacy assets? Is a major challenge for institutions today. The University of Maryland College Park's (UMD) campus plan sets a visionary yet achievable roadmap for key institutional goals, enabling the evolution of a suburban flagship campus into a vibrant, urban, multi-modal, and carbon-neutral innovation center. This session will offer practical strategies for planners to align diverse interests and stakeholders from across the campus community, clear decision-making hurdles, and balance long-range strategic goals with near-term needs.

Abstract: The cost of building and operating research space continues to increase alongside the profile of these spaces on campus. Space management practices can help to enhance institutional reputation by growing research on a more affordable and sustainable basis. This session will examine Arizona State University's (ASU) process of managing research space in new and existing buildings, the research funding and facilities ecosystem, common metrics for productivity, and justifications for space management. We'll provide data-driven insight into ASU's implementation, ideas for translating the process to your institution, and justification for implementing our research space management and optimization practices.