ACUI Partners with AE Works to Publish Revision of College Union Book
More than 20 years after its original publication, the ACUI-published “College Union Dynamic: Flexible Solutions for Successful Facilities” was fully revised and offered anew. The updated edition—revised by ACUI members Adriane Reilly, Ed.D., West Chester University, and Amy Maceyko, AE Works—reflects the profound cultural, social, and architectural changes that have shaped the higher education landscape.
The original project and version of the book culminated in 2006 in a collaboration between two other ACUI members, Stan Latta, an assistant vice president at Pennsylvania State University, and Paul Knell, a senior principal at WTW Architects. Both are now retired, and WTW has since become AE Works.
“I’m so pleased that the ‘College Union Dynamic’ that has served as a foundational resource for two decades has been enhanced to provide guidance for future generations,” said ACUI Chief Executive Officer Dr. John Taylor.
Their original vision was to examine “the response of the college union to the cultural and social trends in higher education and identify some of the planning principles and guidelines that remain constant in its success,” Knell and Latta wrote.
Now, Maceyko and Reilly have maintained that vision with a freshly articulated version of the original published, adding updated commentary, new images and drawings, and current references. This revised edition offers new content in each original chapter, adds two new chapters, and reimagines one chapter, from the original “Conference and Performance Facilities” to a newly titled “Meeting and Event Spaces.”
The chapters in the book include:
- College Unions as a Reflection of Society
- Understanding Students (new chapter in second edition)
- Foundations of Union Planning
- Campus and Site Relations
- Facility Programming
- Campus Life and Student Programs
- Bricks and Mortar Planning (new chapter in second edition)
- Meeting and Event Spaces
- Auxiliary Services
- Administration, Finance, and Renovations
Maceyko said the new version “reexamines the historical role of the college union and introduces a new, expanded focus on understanding today’s students.” Reilly adds that the revision “provide a clear and fresh articulation on the intrinsic value the student union can play in campus recruitment and retention.”
The second edition of the “College Union Dynamic” can be found in the ACUI Books section of the ACUI store, which also offers apparel, content packages, self-paced education courses, and other ACUI benefits.
