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Business Headline here and here Subhead goes here and here. BY AU THOR NAME Building a Better Campus How community colleges can plan and build to meet a changing student base. BY JEFFR EY FENIMOR E, AIA C OMMUNITY COLLEGES have long been accustomed to doing more with less. Limited funding is a constant pressure, as is the physical learning environment — which can be manipulated to accommodate burgeoning enrollment. However, with a focus on design, the learning environment can be transformed to engage learners and instructors alike, providing what the college needs and can afford, while giving students what they want. While some colleges "get by" with inexpensive solutions such as portables, this type of short-term thinking can negatively impact the quality of a learning environment. Additionally, it could affect the recruiting and retention of students and faculty in the long term. 44 Design provides administrators with a readily available tool to proactively create affordable and optimal learning environments. More than ever, colleges are focusing on design and wise planning as a way to address the growing numbers of traditional and non-traditional learners. Ever-shrinking state and federal funding for higher education have only compounded the issue and forced many institutions to make tough choices regarding program offerings, faculty positions, and student assistance. Some have even faced the previously unthinkable specter of turning away students. While increased enrollment is widely regarded as a positive development, understanding ways to manage the influx of COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MAY 2013 additional students, providing a high-quality educational experience, meeting academic goals, and staying within budget requires administrators and architects to minimize new construction and maximize existing space. To understand the solution, colleges must first grasp how the changing face of the student population, higher expectations of the educational experience, and funding shortages will affect building design, remodeling, and construction in the future. More Students, More Diversity, Higher Expectations By many measures, the educational landscape has dramatically changed and enrollment is surging at community and technical colleges across the United States. WWW.PLANNING 4EDUCATION.COM PHOTOS/GRAPH COURTESY OF DLR GROUP MANAGING HIGHER ED