Learning Resources

Abstract: Many institutions have developed learning communities and first year programs in order to facilitate student success, increase engagement and promote connections. Do we know if these outcomes are being accomplished? How should we go about finding out? Using multiple methods, one university carried out a comprehensive study of these efforts. Lessons were learned about both what works among learning communities and first year programs and how to best go about asking the question.

Abstract: This paper contains a management model for pricing and enrollment planning. It is assumed that the institution maximizes its long run quality reputation through the accomplishments of its alumni. The model yields rules for optimal pricing decisions with respect to the “sticker price,” the average scholarship per student, and enrollment. It identifies the optimal mix between the sticker price and the average scholarship, a measure of the institution’s financial ability to support students, and an average cost pricing rule. The model also reveals that pricing rules based on the theory of the firm are inappropriate for higher education and can lead to financial distress.

Abstract: Campus energy consumption causes the largest environmental impacts. College and university planners, architects, and facilities managers are uniquely positioned to play a critical role promoting campus environmental responsibility by addressing the need for campus energy sustainability. Both demand- and supply-side strategies are required. On the demand side, an aggressive campus energy conservation program can reduce campus energy consumption by 30 percent or more. Addressing the supply side of the energy equation means shifting to clean, renewable, non-carbon-based energy resources and technologies. Developing campus energy policies, coping with the computer explosion, avoiding the pitfalls of electric deregulation, buying green power, and implementing green building design are all parts of the solution.

Abstract: Green buildings offer many compelling advantages over their conventional counterparts—increased educational performance, lower energy costs, and lower environmental impact, to name a few—so green buildings should be easier to develop. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Several strategies are important to avoid a protracted process. Develop a set of clear environmental performance goals (buildings as pedagogical tools, climate-neutral operations, maximized human performance), use Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) as a gauge of performance, and use the project to reform the campus building process. All of these steps need to involve a range of participants—students, faculty, administration, and facilities staff—to achieve the best results.

Abstract: The State of California has initiated a number of policies and programs to integrate sustainable building practices into the state’s capital outlay process. Many of these efforts involve new levels of teamwork between diverse state programs and departments. The state’s higher education systems have begun to show a strong level of commitment to sustainable building and have implemented a number of sustainable building measures within their organizations. This article (1) outlines the activities and recommendations of the task force, (2) discusses sustainable building activities in California’s higher education systems, and (3) highlights key issues that California is grappling with in its implementation of sustainable building practices.

Abstract: Can organizations that purport to advance learning themselves learn relative to the global ecological trends? We take great pride in equipping our students to do well-paying work in an unsustainable economy—the rough equivalent of preparing them for duty on the Titanic. There is, however, a general acknowledgment of the larger global environmental trends but without as yet much effort to adjust institutional behavior accordingly. Although there is no single formula, organizational learning requires mastery at seven levels. This article discusses those seven levels.