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

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.