Estates

In a post-pandemic world, managing the modern campus covers not just facilities, grounds and buildings but ed-tech tools, firewalls and other cybersecurity measures

BPM processes

Embedding lean practices in higher education

How can university processes be more efficient and sustainable? Here’s how one continuous improvement team took a viral approach to efficiency through lean thinking, lean leadership and lean toolkits

Tammi Sinha, Pete Rykowski , Michael Shaw

University of Southampton

Sheet music lying on moss

Using partnerships to establish and build on project success

From listening to the student voice to creating joined-up partnerships, success on major capital works depends on teamwork. Here, Dominic Wood outlines key elements to ensure project delivery and reap long-term benefits

Dominic Wood

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)

The University of Birmingham hosted over 3,000 athletes for the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Transforming a university campus into an athletes’ village

As an official partner of the Commonwealth Games 2022, the University of Birmingham housed and fed over 3,000 athletes from across the globe. Malene Stanley explains how they turned their campus into an athletes’ village in just a few months

Malene Stanley

University of Birmingham

Walkway

How to use campus design to nurture a culture of belonging

Brian W. Casey and Graham Wyatt discuss the importance of campus design and beauty in support of the student, faculty and staff experience

Brian W. Casey, Graham Wyatt

Colgate University

A flooded coastal road

How to select and monitor climate adaptations for universities

In the fourth and final part of their series, Rob Wilby and Shona Smith explain how universities can implement adaptation measures and monitor their progress towards resilient net zero

Robert Wilby, Shona Smith

Loughborough University, University of Leeds

A flooded road

A guide to evaluating and managing climate risks to universities

In the third part of their series, Rob Wilby and Shona Smith explain how universities can determine their climate risk exposure, then identify actions to reduce associated threats to people, property and operations

Robert Wilby, Shona Smith

Loughborough University, University of Leeds

Mural showing diversity of Australia’s Indigenous people

Recognising First Nations through place: creating an inclusive university environment

Universities, as places of social good and inclusive education, have a responsibility to create environments that nurture and support learning of First Nations people, writes Angela Leitch

Angela Leitch

Queensland University of Technology

sustainability

A whole-university road map to sustainability impact

Top-ranked Western Sydney University combines immediate action with long-term planning to drive progress in achieving impact aligned with the SDGs. Here, Deborah Sweeney and Kevin Dunn share insights learned from their institution-wide approach

Deborah Sweeney, Kevin Dunn

Western Sydney University

Students mixing and experiencing flexible lectures

Ever wished lectures could be more flexible? Introducing the ‘flecture’

Does the design of lecture theatres actually hinder knowledge dissemination? Richard Layzell discusses his experiments in shifting the norms of education delivery

Richard Layzell

University of Kent

row of seedlings with arrow to plant-covered globe

Charting a shared path to net zero universities

What’s been lacking in the decarbonisation journey is the ability to bring universities together to share best practices, resources and tools, so that pioneers in the area can assist those just starting out. Now there’s a toolkit

Shreejan Pandey, Rebecca Powell

Monash University

multiracial group of students eating burgers outside

Creating a reusable takeout dish programme on campus

Want to reduce single-use waste at your university? In this guide for students and administrators, Rojine McVea offers tips for how to set up a reusable dish service based on her own experience

Rojine McVea

University of Alberta

Hands holding seedling surrounded by sustainability icons

A holistic blueprint for sustainability

Instead of compartmentalising decisions about infrastructure or resource allocation, universities need a whole-system approach to sustainability that shifts attitudes and behaviour, writes Lily Kong

Lily Kong

Singapore Management University

Architecture and new university buildings at Oxford University

Lessons learned from building a new university premises

Rick Trainor reflects on the trials and tribulations of constructing a new, multipurpose building from scratch at the University of Oxford

Rick Trainor

University of Oxford

How to redesign university campuses

What should universities think about when redesigning their campuses?

A university is a multifunctional space where collaboration is increasingly important, so new designs must consider who will use it and how

Denise Medcraff

Arcadis IBI Group

How creating third spaces can help your university campus

Creating ‘third spaces’ will revolutionise your campus

Informal communal spaces bring multiple benefits, from encouraging interdisciplinarity to helping with net zero targets, says Jerry Tate

Jerry Tate

Tate and Co

The different steps to improved sustainability

To offset or not to offset – that is the question

Carbon offsetting is a hotly debated issue, with critics positing that it distracts from real efforts to reduce emissions. David Duncan explains why a compromise position in which offsetting is used to complement focused efforts at carbon reduction may be needed

David Duncan

University of Glasgow

Colleagues meeting in the street

How campus layout influences social ties and research exchange

Shorter distances between departments and offices can boost communication and exchange. But proximity is not the only way that campus design influences interactions among the university community

Andres Sevtsuk

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Puzzle pieces

Considering a university merger? Here’s how to do it well

Assessing a merger’s viability, as well as prioritising trust, openness and maintaining organisational cultures are key to success, says Kayla Vasilko

Kayla Vasilko

Purdue University Northwest

Modern university campus

Covid should have taught us that campus needs to be a treasured space

If we’re to tempt stay-away students back to the physical campus, we must recognise that place and places matter following disasters, say Gemma Ahearne and Treasa Kearney

Gemma Ahearne, Treasa Kearney

University of Liverpool

University estates are a key source of carbon that can be reduced by universities

Building futures: how estates directors can deliver net zero

Terry Spraggett discusses the critical role of estate leads, the impact the construction industry can have and the approach that will drive success

Terry Spraggett

Mace

A robot holding tools to illustrate a resource offering advice for universities on using 'bots'

Lessons for universities from using ‘bots’ in the NHS

Advice on how higher education institutions could apply Robotic Process Automation to improve efficiencies, based on lessons from its use in the NHS

Carol Glover

KFM, a subsidiary of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

University libraries and academic publishers need to find a long-term solution to the issue of e-textbooks

We must end the ‘us and them’ standoff between libraries and publishers

University libraries and publishers remain at a damaging impasse over digital textbooks – the solution requires communication, collaboration and openness to big ideas

Libby Homer

Anglia Ruskin University

Advice on driving institutional action towards net zero

Accelerating towards net zero emissions: how to mobilise your university on climate action

John Madden provides insight on how universities can mobilise their intellectual and institutional capacities to accelerate towards net zero emissions

John Madden

University of British Columbia

Cybersecurity is getting better at universities but they all need to do more

Cybersecurity remains a critical issue that universities must face

Statistics show that universities are getting better at defending against and preparing for cyberattacks, but much more needs to be done, says Heidi Fraser-Krauss

Heidi Fraser-Krauss

Jisc

Using university physical and digital spaces to better engage local communities

Open to all? Using our physical and digital spaces to better engage local communities

Richard Calvert explores what role universities’ physical spaces should play in civic engagement and how digital technologies can support this

Richard Calvert

Sheffield Hallam University

The campus of the future will need to take into account the likely use of hyflex pedagogy

The campus is dead, long live the campus

Potential post-Covid changes to campus design will slide along a spectrum from optimising space to rethinking academic structures, says Jay Deshmukh

Jay Deshmukh

IBI Group