In this episode of Student Success: Built by Design, our panel of experts sits back down to continue their series of discussions about the hierarchy of needs, this time focusing on the fifth layer of Maslow’s pyramid, self-actualization needs. Checking back in with Dr. Joel Peterson, Andrea Stalker, Jennifer Gibb, and Jeff Johnson, who bring a variety of industry-based perspectives on how built environments, facilities management, and inclusive design all contribute to better educational outcomes. Their discussion explores how the built environment can enable the potential growth of students and their meaningful experiences through academic, artistic, and athletic endeavors within the San Diego Community College District’s Measure HH program. The discussion examines the premise that higher needs depend on foundational needs being met, and the group describes self-actualization as purpose, meaning, connection, awe, and pinnacle experiences that can be supported—or hindered—by design. They highlight facilities such as performing arts venues and athletic complexes where performer and audience experiences are interdependent, note how the pandemic exposed the limits of artificial substitutes in situations, and stress the importance of creating spaces that foster belonging, mastery, inspiration, and celebration. The panel closes the episode by sharing personal examples of transformative moments for them shaped by architecture. Listen now to this engaging conversation and subscribe to hear every new episode!
In this episode of Student Success: Built by Design, our panel of experts sits back down to continue their series of discussions about the hierarchy of needs, this time focusing on the fifth layer of Maslow’s pyramid, self-actualization needs. Checking back in with Dr. Joel Peterson, Andrea Stalker, Jennifer Gibb, and Jeff Johnson, who bring a variety of industry-based perspectives on how built environments, facilities management, and inclusive design all contribute to better educational outcomes.
Their discussion explores how the built environment can enable the potential growth of students and their meaningful experiences through academic, artistic, and athletic endeavors within the San Diego Community College District’s Measure HH program. The discussion examines the premise that higher needs depend on foundational needs being met, and the group describes self-actualization as purpose, meaning, connection, awe, and pinnacle experiences that can be supported—or hindered—by design.
They highlight facilities such as performing arts venues and athletic complexes where performer and audience experiences are interdependent, note how the pandemic exposed the limits of artificial substitutes in situations, and stress the importance of creating spaces that foster belonging, mastery, inspiration, and celebration. The panel closes the episode by sharing personal examples of transformative moments for them shaped by architecture. Listen now to this engaging conversation and subscribe to hear every new episode!
Episode Guide:
The Student Success: Built by Design is a production of San Diego Community College District and is produced by University FM.
What pandemic taught us about human connection
11:05: [Dr. Joel Peterson] We actually saw this. We said, "What happens if we were to go ahead and just allow someone to have that pinnacle of performance as an athlete or a musician, but not in an interactive environment, not where there was an audience that was going ahead and interacting?" Well, we did that experiment. It was called the pandemic. And so, when people were doing these performances, and they tried at first it, they realized there was some kind of an issue, so then they tried to create these artificial environments where they put little screens and sort of had all these people. But nowhere did anyone think that that even came close to replicating. What it really says is that it underscores and probably supports very tactically Maslow's theory that we are these beings that have these needs and that many of these things are very, very socially interconnected, that we end up generating these things.
Architecture that says you belong here
15:57 [Andrea Stalker] The great question of, like, should the building be a blank canvas or something that has content and a message and to be a point of inspiration. And I think there's a time and place for both. But at a community college, it is very relevant to say, like, architecture can inspire, and it should have a message, right? It should have a message to the students that you belong here, that you are respected. I think it can highlight those that have gone before, right? So to highlight alums that have been successful or, or even to highlight the values of the community college district. They value sustainability and stewardship of resources and all of those things that say, who we are, right? And are embodied in this message of a building. And that can inspire students then onto levels of creativity or to witness a problem and want to solve it, right? To tackle it, to say, "Oh, this is what someone did before me? Well, I want to take it to the next level and do the next thing."
On finding meaning, connection and awe through self-actualization
05:27: [Dr. Joel Peterson]] This is what self-actualization is talking about, is those fundamental things of finding meaning, finding connection, finding a sense of awe, and finding those pinnacle experiences that make you feel like that life itself is fundamentally worth it.