Learning Resources

Abstract: Universities with varying budgets and in quite different urban or rural locations look to mixed-use developments off campus to attract students and professors.

Abstract: Too often, Boards of Trustees feel that final approval of the institution's Strategic Plan is sufficient. However, most Plans will only be successfully implemented if the Board has complete ownership and a commitment to be actively involved in many areas of the institution (not only fund raising). This article describes a successful process and key strategies to develop Board engagement and ownership of the Strategic Plan and ongoing involvement in the successful implementation of the Plan.

Abstract: A look at the long-term impact of trends on the future of higher education suggests that climate change, access to energy post-peak oil production, as well as globalism and international terrorism are the major externalities to be considered in strategic planning.

Abstract: This study addresses several common shortcomings of current university campus sustainability initiatives, including a lack of attention to integrative issues such as land use, housing, and transportation, and a generally reactive rather than proactive approach to sustainability. To engage these concerns, we develop a model for assessing the relative sustainability of three different future configurations of campus land use, including a "current trends" scenario and two "smart growth" scenarios. The model uses computer-based mapping software to measure a set of six sustainability indicators for each land use scenario. We test the model using the University of Michigan's North Campus as a case analysis.

Abstract: This study examined the quality and the factors which contributed positively and negatively to the quality of some selected students residential facilities in Nigeria. A user-perspective approach was adopted. The quality of the selected facilities was examined at three levels of environmental interaction and from architectural and social dimensions. Twenty purpose-built halls of residence were selected from four Universities in Nigeria and two thousand students were selected from these halls using the stratified method of sampling. The results revealed that students’ halls of residence were perceived to be below average in overall quality and the attributes which contributed the most to this low level of quality were the socio-physical characteristics. Out of the three levels of interaction examined, the bedroom was the only level that was assessed as poor in quality. The results further showed that the social unit size defined at the level of the bedroom as well as the bedroom for studying were the factors, which contributed most negatively to overall quality, signifying their importance. Finally, the implications of the findings for planning and designing future residential facilities were highlighted.

Abstract: The Neglected Majority represents that 70 to 80 percent of our nation's population who, for a myriad of reasons, do not hold baccalaureate degrees. In 1985, Dale Parnell, Ed.D., described this Neglected Majority for the first time in one of the most influential works in the history of the community college movement. This article presents some concepts and strategies to help with program and enrollment planning for this critical mass. The article explores the impact of The Neglected Majority publication and includes a recent conversation with Parnell. The author argues that the promise of solutions for The Neglected Majority have not been realized both to the detriment of community colleges, four-year institutions, and society as a whole.

Abstract: To provide access to and retain both students of color and low-income students, community colleges must change to create environments in which all students can succeed. Change strategies must focus on the core mission of the institution and rely on data regarding the experiences of students at the institution. When student data are used to inform the planning and decision-making processes at a college, a "culture of evidence" is fostered. This article explores how colleges in the "Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count," a funded national initiative, use the Community College Inventory of: Persistence, Learning, and Attainment, to develop a culture of evidence.