Lawrence Biemiller recently opened a HUGE can of worms in the Chronicle of Higher Education when he asked whether all faculty members really need private offices (article). At 92 comments and counting, the overwhelming majority of faculty members responding are vehemently opposed. They cite need for confidential discussions with students, inability to work in a communal environment, and challenges to status (“when administrators do it, I will”) among other reasons.

Even though I am a campus planner who works in an open, collaborative environment, I think the faculty have a point. ...[more]

As a participant in Herman Miller’s Spring 2009 Higher Education Leadership Roundtable, I found the opportunity to sit and talk with thought leaders across the spectrum of higher education to be highly stimulating.

We spent two days discussing scenarios for learning that had been developed in 2005 and summarized in Herman Miller’s Outlook for Learning white paper – which ones were still valid, which ones had not come to pass, which ones were we still waiting for? In spite of the overarching theme of today’s economic realities, we still believed that every challenge presents an opportunity – and that higher education leaders are the ones who need to capitalize on these ...[more]

DAVIDSON, NC – The campus master plan is front-and-center in an article that appears in today’s issue of The Davidsonian, the campus newspaper of Davidson College.

In the article Annie Newman, Shepley’s director of planning, discusses how the master plan offers a framework for campus development, developing a physical campus that supports and advances the College’s strategic plan.

Annie brings her team to the campus on November 9 for a series of presentations and discussions with students, faculty, and staff, about master plan concepts, feedback, and new ideas. Shepley hosted a team from Davidson for an in-house master planning charrette in Boston in late October.

Davidsonian article – 4 November 2009

DAVIDSON, NC – Shepley Bulfinch has been selected to complete a campus master plan for Davidson College.

The master plan advances the vision set forth in the College’s recently completed Strategic Plan. The planning process, which is due to begin in mid-September, is scheduled for completion early in 2010.

Located in Davidson, North Carolina, the 1700-student institution is considered one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

In addition to the current project at Davidson, Shepley Bulfinch has also completed a number of recent campus master plans for clients including Xavier University, Bucknell University, and Young Harris College.

Annie Newman, who leads Shepley Bulfinch’s master planning work, is April’s guest blogger on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Buildings and Grounds web page.

Nationally recognized for her work on space utilization, Annie spoke on the subject at the 2008 Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) annual conference in Montreal.

Her blogs appear on the Chronicle’s website four times this month (see links below).

http://chronicle.com/blogs/architecture/2746/ann-k-newman-colleges-must-think-beyond-space-management

MONTREAL, CANADA – A presentation by senior planner Annie Newman, “Space Utilization – Not Just for Classrooms Anymore”, was a hot topic at the 43rd annual conference of the Society for University Planning (SCUP).

The SRO crowd at the session was testimony to the increased interest in space utilization as a cost-effective and sustainable strategy as colleges and universities respond to growing space needs on college campuses.

The presentation, which Annie gave together with MIT campus planner Robert Boes, was among the subjects highlighted by Scott Carlson’s coverage of the conference in this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education.