Join our team at the upcoming Society for College and University Planning Pacific Regional Conference in Tempe, Arizona.

Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Progressive Project Delivery for Health Equity

• Thursday, May 28 | 10:20 AM – 11:20 AM

  Higher Education Leader Jackie Eckhardt, AIA, LEED AP BD+C 

  Washington State University Spokane’s Indigenous Health Sciences Simulation Clinic is an intentional alignment of institutional mission, academic programming, and community partnership. Members of the university, Tribal leaders, and the project team will share how the progressive design-build delivery method facilitated this integrated planning approach. This session will examine how to embed Indigenous-led decision-making into capital projects, transforming small projects into high-impact catalysts for campus-wide equity and community resilience. Jackie will be joined by Jerry Crowshoe, director of Native American health sciences at Washington State University-Spokane, Kendra Kurz, project manager at Washington State University-Spokane, and Bret Miche, operations manager at Graham Construction.

How Welcome Centers Align Identity, Recruitment, and Mission

• Thursday, May 28 | 10:20 AM – 11:20 AM

  Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, IIDA, and Architect Edward Kim, AIA, LEED Green Associate

  Welcome centers are evolving from entry points into engines of convergence that bring together recruitment, community engagement, and institutional storytelling. This session describes how three institutions – Chaffey College, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Whitman College – are redefining welcome centers as a hub that integrates strategy, academics, facilities, and partnerships. Presenters will share how these projects align physical space with mission, connect academics and communities, and advance inclusive, sustainable engagement. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to plan and design welcome centers that reflect local identities, utilize integrated planning frameworks, and enhance institutional resilience.

  Gretchen and Edward will be accompanied by Owen Guthrie, vice chancellor student affairs and enrollment management at University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Tony Ichsan, assistant vice principal, facilities services at Whitman College.