by Heather Taylor
Like many professional organizations, this year has finally allowed for a chance for people to gather in person again! In July, SCUP members and conference attendees came together for the National Conference in Long Beach, Calif. With around 1100 in attendance, long-time attendees renewed professional friendships/acquaintances and shared the various challenges of the last two years. A new generation of first time attendees were able to see what all the SCUP buzz is about. SCUP celebrated the completion of the inaugural Emerging Leaders Program and introduced many of the second cohort group in attendance. The SCUP fellows finally were able to share their research and be celebrated as well.
As the keynote speaker, celebrated author, speaker, and future of work strategist Heather McGowan presented her thoughts on leadership in a post-pandemic world and outlined a call to action. Several of our regional members, institutional and professional, gave presentations and highlighted important work trends for planning at our institutions. Our world is in flux, which has been heightened by the pandemic.
As we look forward to the fall, we are happy to announce our program to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted: “Timeless: The Evergreen Ideals of Olmsted.” Come hear, see and engage at two events: Oct. 11 at Wellesley College and Oct. 25 at Trinity College. Both events will run from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. and will include a talk, tour, and reception. For more information, check out the SCUP website. What better way to spend a couple of New England October afternoons than on two beautiful campuses designed by the father of landscape architecture!
Want to participate in SCUP? Act now! The call for proposals for our 2023 Regional Conference in Albany, N.Y. is open! Proposals are due mid-October. The conference, Data and Demographics: Driving the Future of Higher Education, will be hosted by the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY) System Administration and the State of New York Construction Fund. The conference will be held on March 22-24, 2023. Check out the conference website for the call for proposals and please submit! If you have any questions reach out to the North Atlantic Council members who can all help or direct you appropriately.
Finally, watch the BSA website for information on local BSA/SCUP fall programming! Here’s to an exciting year ahead.
Heather Taylor
Heather Taylor is a campus planner and architect at Phillips Exeter Academy and the chair of the SCUP North Atlantic Regional Council.
