Relook at University Planning-Development for Sustainability in Higher Education

Universities frequently suffer when they use linear, mechanistic thinking. Leaders can make too many erroneous assumptions about the future. In addition, when users view strategic plans as fixed road maps, they often fail to recognize the faulty assumptions that hinder their success along the way. They generally fail to harness emerging opportunities as well. To enhance outcomes, planners must ensure there are adequate resources for monitoring and adjusting plans during implementation. Those empowered to monitor outcomes and activities must fully understand that the planning core intentions are for development so that so they can effectively refine the plan as it unfolds. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, this study intends to explore some of these issues in an effort to enhance practice and intends to propose a framework for university planning and development to ensure sustainability in higher education.

Mapping The Biopolitical Mind: The Rhetorics Of Neoliberal University Networks

This thesis will begin by sketching a brief history of neoliberal governmentality in relation to the contemporary university before showing how this interconnectivity legitimizes itself inside an institutional framework where the university's role shifts away from the guardianship of national culture to the production of biopolitically charged bodies enmeshed in the rhetoric of excellence. I argue for a rereading of the development of urbanization that is contemporaneous with the increased practice of a long-term neoliberal university planning for potential growth whose stakeholders would include the university, the city and the corporation. The imminantization of capital in the "digital economy" collapses traditional notions of space-time and in the shift from national culture to biopolitically charged studentship there is a shift away from a labour power that produces capital to a new type of human capital; I argue against sociologists of education and in favour of the concept of thought as alienation.

Mapping The Biopolitical Mind: The Rhetorics Of Neoliberal University Networks

This thesis will begin by sketching a brief history of neoliberal governmentality in relation to the contemporary university before showing how this interconnectivity legitimizes itself inside an institutional framework where the university's role shifts away from the guardianship of national culture to the production of biopolitically charged bodies enmeshed in the rhetoric of excellence. I argue for a rereading of the development of urbanization that is contemporaneous with the increased practice of a long-term neoliberal university planning for potential growth whose stakeholders would include the university, the city and the corporation. The imminantization of capital in the "digital economy" collapses traditional notions of space-time and in the shift from national culture to biopolitically charged studentship there is a shift away from a labour power that produces capital to a new type of human capital; I argue against sociologists of education and in favour of the concept of thought as alienation.

The current state of general paediatric fellowships in Canada

Introduction The field of Paediatric Medicine has grown tremendously over the last two decades. Several niche areas of practice have emerged, and opportunities for focused training in these areas have grown in parallel. The landscape of ‘General Paediatric Fellowship’ (GPF) Programs in Canada is not well described; this knowledge is needed to promote standardization and high-quality training across Canada. This study explores the structure and components of existing GPFs in Canada and identifies the interest and barriers to providing such programs. Methods A questionnaire was created to explore the landscape of GPF Programs in Canada. Invitations to participate were sent to leaders of General Paediatric Divisions across Canada, with a request to forward the survey to the most appropriate individual to respond within their local context. Results A total of 19 responses (95%) representing 17 different Canadian universities were obtained. Eight universities offered a total of 13 GPF Programs in 2019, with one additional university planning to start a program in the coming year. Existing programs were variable in size, structure and curriculum. Most programs identified as Academic Paediatric Programs, with an overlap in content and structure between Academic Paediatrics and Paediatric Hospital Medicine programs. The majority of respondents felt there was a need for GPF Programs in Canada but cited funding as the most common perceived barrier. Conclusion A growing number of GPF Programs exist in Canada. Current fellowship programs are variable in structure and content. Collaboration between programs is required to advance GPF training in Canada.

Rooting metropolitan planning in critical theory and participatory practices: A university planning experience in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The paper aims at contributing to the discussion about planning theory and participatory practices in the Global South by focusing on a planning experience for the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, led by faculty, researchers and students at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, between 2009 and 2019. The initiative unveils the University autonomy in designing and carrying out the metropolitan analyses and planning proposals, in adopting theoretical principles and methodologies and, in developing an outreach programme tightly linked to education and research, resulting in significant improvements in planning education, innovations in planning methodology and the potential for rooting radical planning practices in the metropolitan context. First, objects and subjects of the experience are introduced, together with the three phases of the process: the drafting of a metropolitan plan known as the Integrated Development Master Plan for the RMBH; the Metropolitan Macro-Zoning; and the review of municipal Master Plans within RMBH. Secondly, the trajectory and influences of Brazilian urban and metropolitan planning are reviewed to the extent that they fed into the experience. The discussion of municipal planning processes leads to an assessment of the experience’s main achievements. The concluding section offers some thoughts on rooting metropolitan and urban planning in critical theory and participatory practices, as a means to contribute to discussions of planning practices in the Global South.

Gown Goes to Town: Negotiating Mutually Beneficial Relationships between College Students, City Planners, and a Historically Marginalized African-American Neighborhood

University–community partnerships have long sought to develop interventions to empower historically marginalized community members. However, there is limited critical attention to tensions faced when community engaged courses support urban planning initiatives in communities of color. This article explores how three Florida State University planning classes sought to engage the predominantly African-American Griffin Heights community in Tallahassee, Florida. Historically, African-American communities have been marginalized from the planning process, undermining community trust and constraining city planning capacity to effectively engage and plan with African-American community members. In this context, there are opportunities for planning departments with relationships in the African-American community to facilitate more extensive community engagement and urban design processes that interface with broader city planning programs. However, mediating relationships between the community and the city within the context of applied planning classes presents unique challenges. Although city planners have increasingly adopted the language of community engagement, many processes remain inflexible, bureaucratic, and under resourced. Reliance on inexperienced students to step in as community bridges may also limit the effectiveness of community engagement. Thus, while community engaged courses create opportunities to facilitate community empowerment, they also at times risk perpetuating the disenfranchisement of African-American community members in city planning processes.

Linking Program Assessment to Institutional Goals

Integration of major institutional research-based planning and evaluation processes is a mechanism to focus all university constituents on implementing and evaluating strategic initiatives designed to improve institutional quality and effectiveness. While educational program assessment to foster evidence-based improvements is strongly infused in the culture of many universities, drawing intentional connections between program assessment, which primarily focuses on student learning outcomes, and institutional strategic planning, can be challenging for faculty. This paper highlights the assessment work of three diverse disciplines in a large public research institution that have articulated connections between their program’s student learning and program outcomes and elements of the university strategic plan. Case studies are reported to show how program assessment outcomes and measures can be linked. This paper explores the benefits and challenges of explicitly linking outcomes or measures in program assessment to university planning.