Case Studies College and University

Joe Swingle was working toward a graduate degree at the University of Arkansas when a gift from the Tyson family changed the trajectory of his career. The donation set in motion the construction of a new indoor track facility, and when the school needed hands to help host the national indoor championships, Swingle raised his […]

“College athletics is no longer the industry it was a decade ago. The rise of name, image and likeness — NIL — has rewritten the financial and cultural contract between institutions and student-athletes, leaving athletic departments scrambling to keep pace. Coaches leave. Rosters turn over. Fan loyalty, once built on watching the same players develop […]

A master electrician by trade, Jason Brummett did not arrive in college athletics through a traditional administrative track. He built his career running his own electrical contracting company and solving problems on job sites across Kansas. Today, as senior associate AD for facilities at Kansas State University, he applies that same practical mindset to one […]

Change defines modern collegiate athletics, and Jordan Feeney, assistant athletic director for operations and capital projects for Boise State University, lives that reality daily. From conference realignment to NIL-driven compensation models, the landscape has shifted rapidly, forcing athletic departments to rethink facilities, fan engagement, and capital strategy in real time. Every renovation, reseating plan, and […]

Founded in 1925 in Claremont, California, Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is part of the prestigious Claremont Colleges consortium. Known for its graduate-only model and emphasis on transdisciplinary education, CGU brings together scholars and professionals across disciplines to tackle real-world problems. Its academic structure and collaborative spirit offer a unique platform for innovation, and it’s here […]

A rectangular brown and beige, two-story concrete structure that once housed the Star Press in Muncie, Indiana, the building really was yesterday’s news. It had stood vacant since 2000, save for break-ins. Years later when the newspaper’s owners donated it to Ivy Tech Community College, it was one very distressed property. “Just a rundown eyesore […]

Driving onto the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg campus, one of the first things people see is the new life sciences building. The two-level building is topped by large high plume dilution fans, which are exhaust systems for chemical hoods in laboratories. Fans like this are typically hidden to make buildings more aesthetically pleasing, but […]

Like so many places, the wellness center at the Medical University of South Carolina shut its doors in March 2020. Unlike other buildings, though, this one was converted by the MUSC hospital in just two weeks into a field hospital—300 cots replacing exercise equipment. As James Tomsic recalls, the university’s hospital had seen the state […]

The most successful major college athletic programs use more than just national championships in football and men’s basketball to measure greatness. “We really think that great athletic departments are coach driven, student-athlete centered and administration assisted,” Jamie Breslin says. “We work to live by that every day with the work we do as a team.” […]

On a crisp October day in 2018, Jennifer Gonsalves walked through Yale campus, the civil engineer in her appreciating century-old Gothic and neo-Georgian architecture. When she reached 222 York Street, Yale’s main theater, her gaze—like that of so many drama students—swept up the stone façade. Gonsalves continued her walk past the other eight buildings on […]