Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

One Last Column

  • By Deborah P. Moore, Shannon O'Connor
  • 05/01/17

I’ve written hundreds of columns, but this one was by far the hardest to write. My first article for the magazine was written in January 1997 while I was still the director of Operations for the Council of Educational Facility Planners International, and College Planning & Management was still a section that appeared in School Planning & Management. Today, some 20 years later, I am writing my last. I have loved my job with the magazines, our talented team and the dedicated people who make up the industry I have been fortunate enough to work in. Together we have turned SP&M/CP&M into valuable resources providing information on how we can improve the learning environment and how facilities can be a catalyst for change.

Leaving is never easy and the idea of retiring is bittersweet, but we have built a strong team here that will carry on the work that we have started. Effective June 1, Karen Cavallo will take over as publisher for the magazines. Shannon O’Connor, the person who I’ve depended on for the last 12 years to get things done right, will expand her role. For those of you who may be curious what I am doing next, well for starters… I’m taking my grandkids to Disneyland! Thanks to all of you for joining me on this wild and wonderful ride!

I’m Shannon O’Connor, and I’ve been editing CP&M under Deb Moore’s leadership for 12 years. During that time I’ve learned a lot from her about the processes and essentials of designing, building, furnishing, securing and maintaining college and university campuses…and expect my education will continue as I step forward to assume a more visible role (on this page, at the very least) as Deb retires.

As it has always been, the mission of this publication is to provide practitioner-based articles, topical supplements and special reports to top-level decision makers involved in improving higher education. And so it will remain. My hope is that, as Deb begins her well-earned retirement, that you, the readers, will not hesitate to reach out to me with your ideas, compliments, complaints or other input.

The goal remains the same. We will continue to strive to provide quality, pertinent information in both our print and digital formats.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • California District Debuts New High-School CTE Center

    The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CTE Center at Analy High School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) for the facility’s design and GCCI for its construction, and funding came from local Measure A bond funds.

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.