Learning Resources

Abstract: Aged buildings, streets, alleys, back lots, a dense neighborhood, and historic landmarks—can these puzzle pieces add up to campus opportunities? The University of Chicago conceived an unexpected and dynamic new campus destination, gaining 150,500 sq. ft. of academic space and creating a new landscape with 36,000 sq. ft. of new open space and 60 new trees. Neighbors, aldermen, administration, and faculty shaped a campus planning process applicable to large and small colleges and universities, developed from creative and sustainable planning principles.

Abstract: Urban centers are on the rise due, in part, to the steadfast commitment of their citizens, governments, local businesses, and educational institutions. Institutions of higher education, particularly those holding real estate assets and viewed as major stakeholders in their host cities, are forging ahead, leading the way in the next generation of sustainability—that of social responsibility—and believing with great conviction that the foundations of learning, and their architects, can and should aim to sustain not just the environment around schools, colleges, and universities, but the communities surrounding them as well.
These institutions’ renovations of older buildings, repurposed as venues for learning and community building, become three-dimensional opportunities for public outreach and shared resources, serving to reignite a city’s spirit, restore its pride, and lift up its own. What makes the community stronger makes the school stronger. From the possibility of improved transit and education, residence and recreation to the bright hope of a revitalized local economy, educational institutions and architectural firms, in partnership, have the power to empower people beyond the traditional campus border.

Abstract: Given the increase in student commuters, part-time students, and online learning, institutions of higher education are evolving to embrace a blended campus experience. The emerging importance of student connectivity and interaction can be seen in the new role of the student union as a center of student life and learning. This article explores how University of California, Berkeley, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, and Portland Community College have leveraged new student union complexes—including associated open space—to address changing student needs and increase social interaction.

Abstract: A reprint of the 1976 article with a new 2015 introduction by the author.

Original abstract: Drawing on his experience as Provost for Planning at West Virginia University, Raymond M. Haas deals in the following article with the importance of a proper charge to the Planning Office as a means of achieving integrated planning. He further proposes that the role of the Planning Office should be clearly coordinative in the nature--to the point where its only responsibility for actual planning should be in planning the planning process. Finally, he argues that "... integrated planning can be achieved only when planning is a regularly scheduled activity which occurs frequently, and which produces results that manifest themselves in the allocation, reallocation, and effective use of resources within the institution." The author's remarks have been adapted from his presentation at the Society's 11th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

Abstract: The focus on information exchange and collaboration is defining a sea change in the evolution of the campus into a technology-rich virtual learning environment. The rapid advances of technology in the last decade, the rise of cohort-oriented inquiry-based pedagogies, and the future of virtual learning are redefining the planning issues for learning space. Near-term and future technologies offer the potential for education to become a continuous, interconnected, and integrated process that allows students to succeed in a perpetually changing world. The themes of upcoming SCUP conference events make it clear that the society is again focusing on advances in collaboration and educational processes that will have an immediate impact on our members who are planning for the inevitable ongoing learning space evolution.

Abstract: Instructors have a responsibility to maximize student learning. Thus, to the extent that the characteristics of a classroom’s space facilitate or promote learning, instructors should be actively involved in the design and use of the space. This is especially the case as active learning activities are becoming more common. Principles are discussed in relation to functional seating arrangements; focal points and sight lines; acoustics; movement around, into, and out of the classroom; lighting; and windows. A list of principles for good classroom design from the instructor’s point of view is given at the end, and readers are invited to modify this list in a wiki.

Abstract: Public higher education in the United States has become more privatized over the last half-century. One way it has adapted to this privatized environment is through the use of a new funding model, the public-private venture (PPV). PPVs are increasing rapidly in Georgia’s higher education system, and yet little is known about the implications of their use. This issue is significant because billions of dollars are invested in Georgia alone. Leaders must be able to utilize privatized financial tools and understand the best conditions for their use.
With the goal of contributing to the literature about how PPVs are used, there were four research questions that guided this study: (1) how has the PPV model been used in an urban public university? (2) what are the internal and external forces that cause a public university to use the PPV model? (3) what is gained and lost by using this model? and (4) what strengths and challenges have resulted from the implementation of PPVs? A qualitative case study was conducted on the Georgia Institute of Technology and specifically three of its housing facilities, two that are PPVs and one that is not.
Six themes regarding the breadth and extent of PPV use at this institution were identified: (1) determination of control, responsibility, oversight, and autonomy; (2) the need to balance risk and debt; (3) how closely to follow the market model; (4) the effects of decreased state support; (5) the connection between strategic planning and the use of PPVs; and (6) the creation of new, even more privatized, financial models.
The seventh and most significant finding was the identification of three distinct pressures present in the PPV model—control, responsibility, and oversight—or a “triangle of pressure.” This newly introduced concept emphasizes the three pressures that must be carefully balanced when engaging in partnerships that involve both public and private entities in public higher education.
The trend of privatization in the academy is here for the foreseeable future, and leaders should carefully consider the implications for their institutions, their state systems, and their students and plan accordingly.