(PHILADELPHIA, July 25, 2024) – DLR Group’s planning team will represent the firm at the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) 2024 Annual Conference on July 21-23 by hosting three educational sessions. Principal and Planning Urban Design Leader Yogesh Saoji, AIA, AICP served on this year’s SCUP Excellence Awards jury and will also present two educational sessions at the conference alongside Senior Associate and Senior Educational Planner Troy Glover and Senior Associate and Senior Planner Woody Giles, AICP. Following the conference, DLR Group will co-host a tour with Swarthmore College to showcase the institution’s newest facilities, including the dining hall and Sharples Community Commons.

Saoji and Glover’s session “HBCUs and the Fourth Wave: Opportunities and Lessons Learned” will discuss how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have leveraged physical, academic, financial, and operational strategies to enhance and strengthen their missions. Presenting alongside Giles, Saoji’s second session “Addressing the Demographic Cliff: Community College Perspectives” will explore innovative initiatives and spatial reorganization to attract and maintain community college enrollment. “The Final Frontier: Measuring Space Utilization and Implementing Bold Changes,” Giles’ second session will walk through the University of Central Florida’s Campus-Wide Space Utilization Study.

• “HBCUs and the Fourth Wave: Opportunities and Lessons Learned” will be held on Monday, July 22 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center 
• “Addressing the Demographic Cliff: Community College Perspectives” will be held Monday, July 22 from 2:50 to 3:50 p.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
• “The Final Frontier: Measuring Space Utilization and Implementing Bold Changes” will be held Monday, July 22 from 9:50 to 10:50 a.m. at the Pennsylvania Convention Center

The SCUP Excellence Awards Jury members are selected not only for their design, planning, and implementation experience and judgement, but also to represent a variety of different regions, disciplines, institutions, and firms. The jury reviews over 150 submissions for campus planning, architecture, and landscape architecture to determine winners for each category. Jurors, including Saoji, were suggested by the committee, jurors, and others for the role.

The tour of Swarthmore College will share the university’s all-campus approach to sustainability and the projects that exemplify their commitment to carbon neutrality. The innovative 88,000 SF dining hall and Sharples Community Commons will be highlighted alongside other campus facilities. The tour will take place after the conference on Wednesday, July 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

DLR Group’s presence at the upcoming SCUP 2024 Annual Conference in Philadelphia demonstrates the firm’s commitment to staying abreast in the latest industry trends in planning strategies and higher education techniques.