Campus Forward: Key Drivers Shaping the Future of Higher Education

SmithGroup’s higher education leadership has identified key drivers shaping the dynamic landscape of higher education. To explore these trends, we convened thirty SmithGroup leaders, including data analysts, planners, architects, landscape architects and engineers, to discuss insights from our work with higher education clients across the U.S. These leaders are dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals, whether it’s developing a campus master plan, creating new or renovated facilities or implementing a climate action plan.

Our “Campus Forward” framework allows us to deeply understand and discuss the profound impact of societal changes on the physical landscape of higher education. Today, these factors are especially attuned to the needs of Gen Z and Gen Alpha, the most diverse generations in U.S. history, who are digital natives and have faced significant disruptions during their formative years. Additionally, these drivers consider the evolving nature of work, shifting demographics across the United States and the strategic repositioning of academic programs and university campuses.

1. Campus Community and Demographics

Shifting enrollment patterns, driven by declining birth rates, rising costs and the need to demonstrate ROI, have made campuses more diverse. There are now more women than men at degree-granting institutions, more first-generation students and a broader representation of intersectional identities. Successful institutions will nurture and celebrate each student’s sense of belonging, both socially and academically.

Campus plans reflect demographic shifts by welcoming first-generation students and their families, acknowledging cultural norms on diverse minority-serving campuses and fostering a sense of belonging in all facilities. Typologies, such as multicultural centers, highlight the celebration of belonging for all students.

2. Student Persistence

Today’s students, as digital natives, have been profoundly impacted by the pandemic and bring diverse life experiences to universities, whether as recent high school graduates, adult learners, part-time, full-time or remote students.

Student experiences now focus on fostering resilience and entrepreneurial thinking, with universities prioritizing physical spaces that support basic needs like food pantries and mental health clinics as well as investing in learning communities and student success centers. The emphasis has shifted from solely academic success to ensuring student persistence through the lens of justice, belonging and dignity.

3. Pedagogy and Scholarship

As institutions face pressure to prove the value of higher education, they are using broader metrics focused on outcomes, inclusion and social mobility. Technological advancements and spatial flexibility have expanded learning environments, emphasizing experimentation, immersion and data access. Curricula now integrate systems and disciplinary thinking, requiring faculty and departmental collaboration.

Research is organized around themes and trans-disciplinary thinking, addressing global needs and feeding back into curricula. This integrated approach necessitates nimble, flexible, multi-functional and modular spaces, allowing colleges and universities to adapt over time, right-size, tailor and enhance efficiency.

4. Technology

Technology remains crucial in education. Since the pandemic, remote and online learning have surged, with some campuses citing two classes on campus and two classes online as an ideal student schedule. Technology has revolutionized hands-on learning, especially in health sciences and engineering and providing broader access at lower costs.

In research environments, AI has substantial implications for space use and energy. While researchers can develop and test countless solutions using AI tools, the physical requirements and energy consumption will transform the design of research spaces. By focusing on operations, universities that leverage technology will more swiftly adapt their physical environments for optimal space utilization and climate resilience.

5. Climate Resilience

Climate resilience is a critical challenge for today’s students and future generations, requiring bold strategies to combat climate change. Leading universities have set ambitious climate action goals and developed comprehensive strategies. With their extensive portfolios and ability to translate research into real-world solutions, they can significantly impact climate mitigation through low-entropy infrastructure, carbon neutrality and asset reuse. By thoroughly analyzing climate change's effects on infrastructure decisions, universities can greatly reduce their environmental impact.

6. Funding

Public support for higher education has declined over the past two decades, shifting costs to students and families through tuition increases. This financial strain is compounded by leveraged balance sheets, declining enrollments and concerns about affordability and the value of a degree. As a result, there is increased focus on student retention, accountability measures for space assets, critical evaluation of academic programs and private partnerships. Institutions with strong enrollment and research growth can continue to invest in expanding their capital assets.

7. Partnerships

Universities are forming more partnerships due to reduced funding, expanded research opportunities and the need to better serve students. Partnerships with private sector industries and communities often manifest as facility or program sponsorships. Meanwhile, direct industry involvement in research and scholarship continues to thrive on campuses nationwide. These partnerships help identify common interests with external partners, enhancing the impact of universities on their academic and research endeavors, delivering specific value to partners and positively influencing the communities they serve. Additionally, inter-campus partnerships have grown as institutions strive to reinforce their missions, boost efficiency and seek complementary cross-institutional collaborations to meet student needs.

Conclusion

As a design practice, we stay future-focused, constantly pushing the boundaries of physical space design to meet the evolving needs of higher education. At the core of our work is the belief that the physical environment profoundly impacts everyone who engages with a university campus. To create thriving spaces, we must continually understand the forces that shape their use. Our Campus Forward framework empowers us to challenge existing models and collaborate with clients to anticipate the evolution of campuses and student experiences. Together, we can identify and implement bold design solutions that effectively respond to these changes.