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Get Down to College BusinessAuthor: Sarah Holtan, PhD
Welcome to Get Down to College Business. We will identify strategies that could make the difference between keeping university doors open and closing them for good. I'm pulling in business experts and higher ed leaders to debate the merits of strategies that could save the future of higher ed. You will leave feeling empowered with new ideas to reimagine how you approach the business of college to support the cause of the affordable college experience. Visit us at highlevelleadership.com, read our blog and join our email list to get connected. Follow us and leave a positive review on your favorite podcast app. I'm your host, Sarah Holtan, PhD. Let's Get Down to College Business. Language: en Genres: Business, Education, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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The ROI of a Strong Campus Master Plan with Lora Strigens
Episode 71
Tuesday, 14 April, 2026
Get ready to be inspired by Lora Strigens, Vice-President for Planning and Facilities and University Architect at Marquette University, as she shares her expertise in leading over $300 million in capital projects in under a decade. Discover how campus planning at Marquette University follows a strategic approach, encompassing broad themes to ensure the best outcomes for stakeholders.Lora emphasizes the importance of engaging with both on-campus and external stakeholders, asking thoughtful questions to enable their impactful contributions. Explore the unique challenges and benefits of being an urban institution, from community connections to ensuring student safety. Learn the art of balancing multiple priorities with limited funds and executing integrated planning within set timelines.Find out about the key components of successful investment in new or renovated facilities as Lora sheds light on measuring success using both qualitative and quantitative metrics. Get insights on building a culture of strategic planning and execution of big ideas to ensure the viability and success of educational institutions. Listen to the episode and be inspired to transform campus planning and create thriving educational environments!Episode Highlights:03:59 - Master planning is how do you engage people in a meaningful way, and so I think that beginning part where you're identifying the key stakeholders and you're bringing them into the fold and thinking about not just what general questions we can ask, but what are the questions that we can ask where people can feel like they're really having an impact? And then as we move forward with the planning process, how can you reflect back what you've heard from those people and share how their input and their experiences have actually made a difference, and how the plan manifests itself.12:35 - I think that thoughtful planning that's continuous and integrated where it takes into account what are the academic growth goals and research growth goals, where are we at from an operation standpoint, talking closely with facilities, IT security to understand where are those pain points and where are the investments required there, as well as working with our advancement team who handles our fundraising and donor engagement, to understand what's that landscape looking like, and using all of those points to help inform how we might move things forward.28:10 - The biggest challenge is probably, like you said, it's getting your head around all of the different aspects you need to be thinking about as you're approaching planning, whether that's the strategic plan or the master plan, and not being overwhelmed by that to a point that you get into a paralysis that you're not making decisions or you're not able to move things forward.Contact Sarah Holtan, PhDLinkedInWebsiteLora StrigensLinkedInWebsite
