Related Pages

Worksheets & Tools

Characteristics of Ideal Spaces for Science
A PKAL Tool

Arriving at spaces for science that serve your community well for years to come requires both knowing what questions to ask and having a vision of what might be. We present a series of questions raised by institutional teams entering into the planning process, as well as a statement of the collective vision of PKAL leaders about the ideal 21st century science building, accompanied by a survey which can be used by individual campuses to determine their collective vision about facilities that serve their community.

What Works Statements

What Works: Building Spaces for Science that Make a Difference

What Works: Communities

What Works: Infusing a Global Dimension into the Undergraduate STEM Learning Environment

What Works: Shaping General Education Programs Focused on Scientific and Quantitative Literacy

Stories

Cultivating a shared environmental vision at Middlebury College

Nan Jenks-Jay
In the mid 1990s, Middlebury proposed significant advancements in leadership in the environmental sciences. A presidential declaration was recognition that the environment was integral to Middlebury's educational mission and operational goals.

Presentation

Key characteristics of good departmental leadership

Lee W. Willard
By creating a coalition around issues relating to intellectual life and intellectual curiosity, an academic leader can help develop a broad commitment to a vision that links to greater institutional goals.

Link to another site

The Creative Campus: Who's No. 1?

Printed in "The Chronicle Review," October 1, 2004 edition, this article measures college "creativity" and defines the important features of a creative campus.

Keck Consultation Reports

Curricular Planning Must Come First
The Keck/PKAL Consultation Program

A thoughtful and well-articulated vision for teaching science is the most important element of a successful building project.

Essay

A PKAL essay: The need for collaborating communities

Jeanne L. Narum
Taking the kaleidoscopic perspective on institutional transformation requires examining how the changing context calls for different kinds of collaborating communities pursuing new visions of institutional distinction.

A PKAL presentation: Using environmental issues to transform the learning environment

Nan Jenks-Jay
Middlebury designated environmental studies and awareness as one of its six "academic peaks of excellence," and has integrated the environment into its academic program, organizational and management structure and into its plans for the future. They have created a community with a shared vision and goal.

Linking departmental & institutional mission: The Morehouse experience

J.K. Haynes
Building a strong department from the foundation of a solid vision that drives all planning and assessment is the key to the success of the biology department at Morehouse College.

Mission and vision for the sciences at Brooklyn College

Frank Grasso, Peter Lesser, Eleanor Miele, Theodore Raymond Muth, Simon Parsons, Louise Hainline
Transforming the undergraduate STEM learning begins with a clear vision grounded firmly in the institutional mission. This statement of mission and vision from Brooklyn College illustrates the power of a driving vision to mobilize a community to dream big about its future, in the context of planning new spaces for science. Brooklyn College is a PKAL Leadership Institution.

The Ideal Facility for 21st Century Learning Communities

In 2003, PKAL engaged a roundtable of STEM faculty, architects and planning experts to envision how an ideal STEM facility could foster rich and integrated learning communities. This report describes key findings and provides a launching point for continued discussion on the role of architecture and design in creating spaces that work.

Top Ten Characteristics of Community

Working toward and ensuring the success of African American students in STEM fields

Freeman A. Hrabowski III
The identifiable elements that contribute to systemic and sustainable reform are all visible in the learning environment at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). This institution is nationally-recognized for the strength of its science/engineering programs and for its effectiveness in working as a community to ensure the success of all students– particularly African American students– in the study of STEM fields.

Other Resources

A Vision from Lewis and Clark College: Adapting to the Landscape of Ideas

Julio de Paula, Yung-Pin Chen, Janis E. Lochner, Nikolaus Loening, Deborah E. Lycan, Jennifer Carter McGuirk, Stephen L. Tufte, Elizabeth B. Safran, C. Gary Reiness
In this vision statement, Lewis & Clark College aims to become "a national leader among primarily undergraduate institutions in the education of students and the development of teacher-scholars by creating a community that adapts quickly to changes in the landscape of ideas."

A Vision from Washington & Jefferson College: Science and Math as Liberal Arts

Lynn Wilson, Steven Malinak, Alice Lee, Dean Morrow, Michael Pettersen
This vision of STEM education from Washington & Jefferson College aims to teach science and mathematics as liberal arts. Included are several specific objectives and goals to achieve this vision.

F21 Visions of the Future of Education

Responses from two F21 members when asked for their thoughts about what undergraduate STEM would be like in 2009.

Technologies are Changing Learning and Teaching

The Future of Higher Education: Technology and the College

Daniel L. Goroff