Student Union Transformation: A Case Study On Creating Purposeful Space

Abstract

Colleges provide many opportunities for students to interact with faculty and staff, participate in and lead student organizations, and attend campus events. This type of involvement creates positive student engagement that nourishes students’ connection while in college (Boyer, 1987). Students seek on-campus social interactions and supportive networks through programs, services, and activities (Kuh, 2007; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Tinto, 2001). Campus facilities that provide spaces where students can come together intentionally are critical (Kuh, Douglas, Lund, & Ramin-Gyurnek, 1994). Designing physical spaces, such as a student union, where social and intellectual connections can occur, contributes community for students. In order to design spaces that foster opportunities for community, specifically a sense of inclusion and engagement, there is a need for understanding organic community (Myers, 2007) and the way individuals use and interact with physical space. Specifically, campus ecology (Banning, 2012) provides the theoretical framework for understanding interactions within the physical space. In this qualitative case study, the notions of community in the overall planning process and the way students use two identified spaces in a student union were explored. Semi-structured interviews provided insight in the planning process and observations provided an understanding of the way individuals engage in the space. Findings from this study indicate how intentional planning of physical space design impacts the social and intellectual interactions between individuals using the space. Results from this study suggest that attention to the design of physical space matters. For student affairs professionals, results from this study demonstrate a positive impact on community as an outcome of the intentional design of the student union.