Over the past decade, the growth of widespread understanding and implementation of sustainability principles on college and university campuses has been astounding. In this article, the author notes a few of the more powerful forces behind this effort and suggests that these forces have created new opportunities for the Society for College and…

Before becoming dean of the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan, the author was a professor of architecture at Harvard University where she taught design studio, lecture, and seminar courses on topics including digital technology and the history of design and an introductory course on the…

Campus landscapes can serve as living laboratories for reducing carbon footprints, conserving water and aquatic resources, supporting biodiversity, and building active, equitable social communities. Moreover, as learning landscapes, such campuses actively promote sustainable design by engaging faculty, staff, and students in the design and…

The history of an educational institution is maintained both in its traditions--the customs and practices of the school--and in its physical dimension--the buildings, landscapes, and other cultural resources that define its "campus." In the past 15 years, the memorialization of the American college and university campus--whether in…

Climate change planning is fast becoming an important element in university policy and governance. As the causes and impacts of global climate change become more apparent, many universities are embracing climate planning roles as community leaders, educators and researchers, and operators of major activity centers. For example, 685 university…

Many universities and colleges own forestland. Although these lands can be worth billions of dollars, most are devoted to the institutional goals of education, research, and outreach. These forests become an integral part of the university and serve as teaching and research laboratories. They are usually called university or college forests or…

Higher education institutions must be resilient as they face vastly increased expectations for sustainable environments, global focus, and technological support. Speed of response to these expectations ultimately depends on shared vision, shared agreement, and shared accountability. In this article, the authors challenge all those engaged with…

As American settlement spread to the Midwest, college and university campuses came to symbolize some of the greatest achievements of public policy and private philanthropy. However, the expansion westward often ignored the cultural precedents of Native Americans and the diversity of the varied native landscapes. Today, campus planners and historic…

This article is inspired by recent observations, events, and publications, as well as by a general and rising concern for and appreciation of the culture of American historical heritage as manifested on college and university campuses. Among the influences and inspirations for this article are Richard P. Dober's (2005) "Campus Heritage"…

The Getty Foundation's six-year Campus Heritage Initiative, which awarded preservation planning grant funds to 86 U.S. colleges and universities, ended in 2007. As the early grantees completed their projects, the foundation wisely noted the abundance of excellent information about the preservation of historic campus resources contained in the…

To gain a full and true understanding of the value of campus heritage requires shifting perspective. On many campuses, heritage resources are perceived to have no relevance whatsoever to the challenges of sustainability. This results largely from a profound misconception about what may constitute a sustainable future and what steps may be needed…

Millennial students can be inspired to create a legacy for future generations by the recognizable actions of campus planners to create more sustainable campuses through smart growth planning, green buildings, transportation planning, and energy- and water-efficiency retrofits. This article describes policies, programs, and projects at The…

The sustainability movement in higher education has made considerable headway in the areas of research, campus operations, and community outreach, but has been less successful in bringing about curricular reform. To promote greater thinking about sustainability in the undergraduate curriculum, this essay explores three main questions: What are the…

Drawing on recent survey data from the National Wildlife Federation and other publications, explains what an environmental management system is and identifies its components; examines how environmental management systems have been applied in higher education settings; reports on trends in implementation; and illustrates how the environmental…

Asserts that moving higher education onto a sustainable trajectory requires that administrators, trustees and staff, faculty, and students participate in a transparent process of setting and implementing goals. Suggests that planners have the opportunity to become true visionaries of higher education who help faculty and administrators combine…