Fostering 21st century teaching and learning; robust campus development
Santa Fe Community College
Institutional Masterplan
Santa Fe, NM
Lens Services: Participatory Visioning & Planning, Measuring Design Impact
A community college providing 21st century job training repositions itself with a new institutional master plan arising from an inclusive engagement process and robust data analytics.
Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) offers affordable, high-quality educational programs that serve the social, cultural, technological, and economic needs of a diverse community in Northern New Mexico. In 2020, the institution was challenged, under a strategic mandate and limited capital funding, to reposition itself and develop programs that train students for 21st century jobs. SFCC partnered with Lens, Shepley Bulfinch and McClain + Yu to develop a 10-year institutional masterplan that supports students, partners with the community, and increases college capacity.
To support the goals of the strategic plan, our team designed a robust engagement process that included diverse perspectives such as administrators, faculty, staff, students, government officials, and neighbors. During a two-day visioning summit, participants provided insights on the strengths and opportunities of the physical campus, current and desired student experiences, and areas to strengthen physical and programmatic connections to the local community. Participatory planning was informed by data analysis, including existing conditions assessments and a utilization study, enabling our team to provide the administration with targeted, cost-effective recommendations for future campus development.
The completed Institutional Master Plan has helped SFCC remain within its current physical footprint while improving student services and an educational environment that is responsive to 21st-century teaching and learning innovations. The College is currently pursuing identified opportunities to improve the student experience, including the creation of a new student service hub and the development of a new, clarified campus entry. An implementation plan has helped the SFCC administration to bundle projects together into a series of successful annual capital funding requests.
