Learning Resources

Abstract: The pandemic has exposed and added to the vulnerabilities that students face. It has also impacted how institutions serving underrepresented students are working to redefine student support in an evolving campus environment. In this session, we'll share how institutions have made changes in their metrics, planning and design strategies, and campus facilities that contribute to recruitment, academic growth, and graduation rates. Join us for an interactive discussion about student success strategies and learn new approaches for meeting returning students' needs, including hybrid learning, flexible learning spaces, and the importance of representation, inclusivity, safety, and wellness.

Abstract: “SMART” built environments usually refer to buildings with embedded technologies that allow them to run as efficiently as possible. Yet for research institutions, that definition should be expanded beyond efficiency to include metrics that are used to quantify research productivity and accomplishments. The expected useful life of the building and individual labs, research dollars generated per square foot, intellectual property generated, and successful recruitment and retainment of researchers are but a few bottom line-oriented measures that colleges and universities use. By embracing the business side of higher education, architects can create even smarter built environments.

In this presentation, we discuss how to identify and select appropriate metrics for institutions that are equally focused on education and research. What objective and subjective measures can be considered? Are these metrics applicable in our new (hopefully) post-COVID reality? How are institutions reallocating space in this new reality? How do we redefine the future of “smart” higher education research facilities?

Abstract: Professor Armstrong describes the college's particular interest in sexual assault prevention and highlights the critical role that academic department chairs can play in designing institutional research partnerships that support faculty interests as well as the institution's. She emphasizes many faculty's long term commitment to campus health and wellbeing and offers a clear-eyed view about how to leverage faculty research skills for campus goals.

Abstract: Vice President Diorio describes how Student Life (or other institutional areas) can successfully embrace faculty researchers to further institutional goals. She highlights the benefits of developing tailored, evidence-based programming through in-house research partnerships and how Student Life can enhance the academic skills of their most-involved student activists.

Abstract: Dr. Cuomo, a pre-tenure feminist geographer, describes her background and research agenda pertaining to sexual assault victim advocacy, education, and prevention. She describes the research project at the heart of Lafayette College's initiative and shares her perspective on the potential for similar institutional research partnerships in higher education.

Abstract: Ella Goodwin, a Lafayette College senior and co-president of a student organization called Pards Against Sexual Assault, shares a student’s desire for clear institutional planning in areas of critical student concern. She emphasizes that financial renumeration for the work that student activists already do to create and support vital campus programming is critical to successful partnerships. She highlights the importance of the opportunity to develop research skills for undergraduate students particularly beyond STEM.

Abstract: Over the past year, the hospitality teams at Yale University and the University of Connecticut (UConn) have had to rethink their dining operations, shifting to a transactional approach to continue supporting student wellbeing. The two universities faced very different challenges: UConn, as one of the country's largest self-operated food service programs, focused on maintaining diverse options; Yale, as a transformational organization, committed to table gatherings and healthy, locally-sourced food. This session will explore how these programs have adapted to the current crisis and what their experiences teach us about the future of campus food service.

Abstract: Establishing capital projects is typically a long-term effort with changes occurring over months. In this session, we'll share how Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) applies a standard process to address its unique capital needs and withstand the test of time. CSCU maintains its 10-year capital plan in a dynamic environment to remain relevant and resilient for allocating resources equitably between its sixteen campuses with optimal effect. Come learn how a mission-driven, evidence-based capital planning approach responds to changing demographics and financial conditions while addressing specific facility and infrastructure needs in a wide variety of campus settings.

Abstract: The global COVID-19 pandemic struck a hard blow to many countries, and global institutions suddenly had to change operations as well as how their students learned, socialized, and lived on campus. After a full year of shutdowns, virtual learning, and constant adaption, we will discuss how University College London and the University of Dublin responded to government mandates and how the crisis has shaped living and working arrangements. Come join a university administrator and an academic researcher, both of whom focus their work on the built environment, for a lively discussion on pre- and post-COVID perspectives on student residential housing and academic research space and how the pandemic has challenged their thinking.

Abstract: Higher education institutions are learning to do more with less, and this session will show how working and learning remotely can provide the 'extra' space needed to generate revenue and improve efficiencies. From the onset of COVID-19, Moore College has demonstrated how a dense urban campus can adapt to the new normal by transforming common space for maximum use to enhance the creative arts education pedagogy. Join us to discover innovative strategies for modifying space on your campus post-COVID to improve recruitment, retention, and wellbeing.