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Institutions are attempting to revitalize undergraduate education through the shift of the dominant pedagogy to a learner-centered focus. While this is encouraging, it is crucial to acknowledge that most of the efforts and literature on the learner-centered paradigm have necessarily focused on strategies for faculty. It is, however, equally important for administrators to consider the impact of the paradigm shift on their roles. Professional development and leadership training that takes into account the need for both a technical shift and shift in perception is key to the success of the transition to a new paradigm.

In an effort to completely transform both teaching spaces and pedagogical orientation, a multi-stage project that tied professional development efforts for faculty and administrators to a redesign of existing classroom facilities was initiated. The goal was to simultaneously transform learning and spaces for learning in order to change the cultural paradigm that affected both the concept of being a teaching institution and the sustainability of the campus. In this article, the authors describe the most significant lesson learned from these multistage renovation projects--to achieve the goal of a learner-centred curriculum, changing the physical spaces is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one. As noted at the beginning of this article, the "idea" of the university cannot be changed without considering the "physical" presence; likewise, the "physical" presence cannot be changed without vigilant attention to the "idea" of the university. Changing a culture requires buy-in, engagement, and intellectual investment, which, in this case, was gained through the process of ongoing assessment and professional development. The point of assessment was not solely to assure feedback as they proceeded through the stages of this project; the ongoing assessment empowered the different constituents and individuals, involved them in the process, and most importantly, sparked a campus-wide discussion, not just about space, but about learning and what it means to be a learning-centred campus.

In considering the issue of transforming higher education, people tend to think of the university in the abstract: the idea of providing education and what that means in these changing times. The authors suggest that the physical university should also be considered. At Ferris State University, educators have made a comprehensive effort to transform the university by creating a learning-centered culture focused on three central elements: (1) classrooms; (2) learning spaces outside the classroom; and (3) professional development. They undertook a multistage project to renovate learning spaces in a systematic fashion, combining the renovations with professional development efforts for faculty and administrators. They transformed the academic milieu both physically and intellectually with the primary purpose made of fostering a more learning-centered culture and environment. In this article, the author discusses the multistage renovation project and the role of assessment in creating a learner-centered environment.