A Decade Of University Sports Facility Design Courses

Every fall over the last decade, interdisciplinary undergraduate student teams have designed athletic facilities for the Lehigh University campus. This initiative comprises part of the Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) program. The paper focuses on the procedures of this excellent model used to provide a real-world context for students to achieve academic objectives and learning opportunities of cross disciplinary undergraduate education, not otherwise available for many of them. The distinctive aspect of these designs is that they comprise a very utilitarian component kp" vjg" qpiqkpi" rncppkpi" hqt" kortqxgogpvu" vq" vjg" wpkxgtukv{Óu" cvjngvke facilities, some being initial feasibility studies, and some slated for construction. Procedures used to ugngev"tgcnkuvke"rtqlgevu"cpf"guvcdnkuj"vjg"wpkxgtukv{"cu"c"ÐtgcnÑ"client are reviewed, as are the requirements of the presentations and deliverables so that they can be used for an implementation decision by the appropriate client representatives (alumni donors, faculty, student athletes, and staff such as sports coaches and the Associate Vice President for Facilities Services and Campus Planning). The process of involving faculty and recruiting and selecting students is explained, along with creating an atmosphere of excitement and desire to be included. The first facility built was the 1998 design of a 2000-seat stadium for field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer, which included a student presentation of the proposed $2.4 million facility to the university Board of Trustees for approval. The latest is a nine-hole golf course, club house, and driving range currently under construction, evaluated by the university clients. The annual course is led by Drs. Joseph Sterrett, Dean of Athletics, and Vincent Munley, Professor of Economics, with faculty supervisors from each of the uvwfgpvuÓ"jqog"fgrctvogpvu0"Vjg"rtqlgevu"jcxg"hqewugf"qp"vjg"hqnnqykpi"urqtvu."uqog"kp" multiple years as indicated: crew, cross country (2), softball/baseball (2), field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, and golf (3). Just like consulting teams working in the private sector, student teams were composed of members with diverse backgrounds in order to address complex challenges. The student teams have included majors from all three qh"NgjkijÓu"undergraduate colleges and the following departments: accounting, architecture, Asian studies, civil & environmental engineering, economics, English, finance, journalism, marketing, earth & environmental science, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, integrated business and engineering, history, international relations, management, psychology, statistics, supply chain management, and urban studies. The real world atmosphere stemmed from the realistic teaching and learning challenges of interaction with the clients, government approval agencies, and other experts, all of whom reviewed, evaluated, and assessed the presentations and reports.