The Society of College and University Planning was founded in 1965 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor during an informal gathering of campus planners frustrated with the lack of professional exchange in their emerging field. Rapid postwar enrollment growth and massive campus expansion projects had created urgent needs for long-range physical planning, yet few institutions had dedicated planners or shared knowledge.
A small group, led by University of Michigan planners George J. Bruha and Frederick W Mayer met in Ann Arbor to discuss common challenges facing other State of Michigan settlements; joined by Stanford, Ohio State and the University of Illinois. They decided to create a formal organization to foster collaboration, research, and professional development. In 1966, with Michigan’s support, SCUP was officially established as a nonprofit with its first office on the Ann Arbor campus. Its founding principle—integrated planning linking academics, finances, and facilities—remains central today.
Early operations benefited from administrative support (aegis) provided by the University of Michigan, including office space and resources in Ann Arbor. This arrangement persisted until a financial crisis in the late 1970s (1976–1980), during which SCUP relocated to New York.
The decoupling—marking full operational and administrative independence from the University of Michigan—occurred in 1980, when SCUP returned to Ann Arbor as a self-sustaining nonprofit headquartered at a separate location –1330 Eisenhower Place — less than a mile walk from Standards Michigan‘s front door at 455 East Eisenhower.
* Of the 220 ANSI Accredited Standards Developers, the State of Michigan ranks 3rd in the ranking of U.S. states with the most ANSI-accredited standards developers (ASDs) headquartered there; behind the Regulatory Hegemons of California and ChicagoLand and excluding the expected cluster foxtrot of non-profits domiciled in the Washington-New York Deep State Megalopolis. Much of Michigan’s presence in the private consensus standards space originates from its industrial ascendency through most of the 1900’s.
Summer occupies a surprisingly small place in the orchestral imagination. Winter has storms and Christmas; spring has awakening; autumn brings harvest, melancholy and departure. Summer, by contrast, often appears indirectly—as heat, evening, landscape or memory.
Gershwin’s Summertime became perhaps the season’s most familiar American expression, while Barber found summer in the remembered voices and warm night air of Knoxville: Summer of 1915. Delius gave us A Song of Summer and Summer Night on the River.
Still’s Summerland belongs naturally in this slender company. Perhaps summer resists composition because its characteristic activity is precisely the suspension of activity: long days asking little of us.
This is the second movement of William Grant Still’s *Three Visions*, composed in 1936 and originally written for piano. Set between the troubled atmosphere of *Dark Horsemen* and the luminous *Radiant Pinnacle*, it imagines a place of repose beyond earthly difficulty.
The music moves slowly, carried by long melodic lines and harmonies that seem to suspend ordinary time.
Still later arranged the work for other instruments, and it has proved especially adaptable to strings and wind ensembles. Its warmth is neither idle nor sentimental. There is movement beneath the stillness: a summer landscape understood less as a season than as a state of rest.
Today at 15:00 UTC we will review the latest in best practice literature for air conditioning systems. Note that we have broken out this topic from the standing Mechanical colloquia. Our approach features interoperability and system considerations. Catalogs on the agenda:
The Air Conditioning Contractors Association of America is an accredited standards developer for the design, maintenance, installation, testing, and performance of indoor environment systems. We find several ACCA best practice titles referenced as in education facility design guidelines and construction contracts. Much of its catalog forms the foundation for the technical curricula in trade schools. Its library is linked below:
As of this posting the ACCA has not released any titles for public comment. We encourage our colleagues to interact directly with the ACCA standards team: Air Conditioning Contractors Association, 2800 Shirlington Rd, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22206, (703) 575-4477, membership@acca.org.
We maintain the ACCA suite on the standing agenda of our Air Conditioning and Mechanical teleconferences. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.
Special education classrooms are governed not by one standard, but by the intersection of building, fire, electrical, accessibility, environmental and educational requirements. Among the dominant U.S. codes and standards are:
International Building Code (IBC)
International Existing Building Code (IEBC)
International Fire Code (IFC)
NFPA 101 — Life Safety Code
NFPA 70 — National Electrical Code (NEC)
NFPA 72 — National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code
ICC A117.1 — Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities
2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
ASHRAE Standard 62.1 — Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality
ASHRAE Standard 55 — Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy
ASHRAE Standard 90.1 — Energy Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings
ANSI/ASA S12.60 — Acoustical Performance Criteria, Design Requirements and Guidelines for Schools
IES Lighting Library / ANSI-IES recommendations
ASCE 7 — Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures
IDEA, ADA and Section 504 regulatory framework
The resulting classroom is therefore a systems problem: accessibility, acoustics, lighting, ventilation, electrical power, signaling, emergency egress and assistive technology all meet in the same room.
Saugatuck High School | Allegan County Michigan @ Detroit Institute of Arts | Michigan West
The American voluntary consensus standards system depends upon the steady participation of universities. To encourage that participation, many standards developers offer research grants, scholarships, travel stipends, student paper competitions, and postgraduate fellowships for faculty members, graduate students, and emerging professionals.
These programs help offset the costs of research, conference attendance, committee meetings, and publication while introducing new generations of scholars to the consensus process.
The investment benefits both the standards community and higher education. Universities contribute fresh research, analytical methods, and technical expertise, while students gain firsthand experience with the development of engineering, scientific, accounting, safety, and building standards that influence practice throughout the world.
Student Research Grants, Scholarships & Travel Support
ASTM International — Academic Outreach Program featuring student memberships, scholarships, research grants, travel assistance, student chapters, and opportunities to participate directly in standards committees. (Student Members)
ASHRAE — Society scholarships, Graduate Student Grant-in-Aid research awards, undergraduate equipment grants, and conference travel assistance.
ASCE — Undergraduate and graduate scholarships, Student Chapter awards, and discipline-specific fellowships.
ASME — Scholarships and fellowships through the ASME Foundation together with student paper competitions and travel assistance.
IEEE — Scholarships, fellowships, travel grants, Foundation awards, and Society-sponsored student programs. Most grants originate at the society, region and section level. Example: Education & Healthcare Facilities
ICC — Student chapters, scholarships, educational partnerships, and workforce development initiatives.
NFPA Research Foundation — Sponsored university research and academic partnerships advancing fire, electrical, and life safety.
NIST — Graduate student research opportunities, laboratory collaborations, and financial assistance for visiting scientists.
SAE International — Engineering scholarships supporting students in automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, and mobility disciplines.
FASB / GASB — The Postgraduate Technical Assistant Program and the Gilbert W. Crain Memorial Research Grant support the next generation of accounting standards professionals.
ISO Young Professionals Programme — Annual leadership and standards development program sponsored through ISO member bodies.
ISO
ISO DEVCO — Capacity-building initiatives, technical assistance, education, and participation support for developing countries.
IEC
IEC Young Professionals Programme — International leadership development and participation in electrotechnical standards activities.
IEC
IEC Academy — Standards education, webinars, technical training, and professional development resources.
ITU
ITU Academia Programme — Membership and engagement opportunities for universities participating in international telecommunications standards development.
ITU
ITU Fellowships Programme — Travel assistance and fellowships enabling qualified participants to attend ITU standards meetings and conferences.
ITU-R
ITU-R Fellowships — Support for participation in Radiocommunication Sector meetings and technical study groups.
University district energy systems are significant stakeholders in bulk electrical transmission reliability because large educational settlements behave much like small cities. Hospitals, laboratories, data centers, residence halls, athletic facilities and central utility plants create substantial, concentrated electrical loads whose interruption may have consequences extending beyond ordinary commercial outages.
Many universities also operate combined heat and power plants, generators, thermal storage, microgrids and other distributed energy resources. These assets can reduce transmission demand, support local resilience and, where market and interconnection arrangements permit, participate in demand response or other grid-support activities. Conversely, disturbances on the bulk transmission system can disrupt campus generation, utility distribution and critical research or clinical operations.
Universities therefore occupy both sides of the reliability equation: they are dependent loads and potential reliability resources. Transmission planning, protection, restoration priorities, interconnection requirements and emergency operating procedures can directly affect the continuity, cost and resilience of university district energy systems.
Key point for us: FERC directed NERC on computational/large loads (E-1, RD26-7-000) — Ordered the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to develop and submit new or modified Reliability Standards addressing reliability risks from integrating computational loads (e.g., data centers) into the Bulk-Power System, plus revisions to its Rules of Procedure (including registry criteria for such loads). Filings due by December 31, 2026.
The Commission voted on a series of mostly consent agenda items focused on electric reliability, market rules, compliance, infrastructure, and related matters. Some of them are relevant to large, sometimes privatized, campus power systems:
Major initiative to accelerate large-load interconnections. The Commission’s headline action was the issuance of six “show cause” orders directing every jurisdictional RTO/ISO (except Texas/ERCOT) to justify or reform how they connect very large electric loads, particularly AI data centers. The objective is to reduce delays while protecting grid reliability and ensuring that costs are appropriately assigned.
Large customers expected to bear infrastructure costs. FERC made clear that new large loads should generally pay for the transmission and distribution upgrades needed to serve them, rather than shifting those costs onto existing retail customers. This principle is expected to influence future tariff filings nationwide
Encouragement of customer-owned generation. The Commission encouraged tariff structures that would allow large customers to supply some or all of their own electricity—such as on-site generation, microgrids, or other behind-the-meter resources—to reduce impacts on the bulk power system.
MISO emergency demand-resource improvements. The Commission conditionally accepted tariff revisions from MISO that improve the visibility, dispatch, and operation of demand-side resources during grid emergencies beginning with the 2028–2029 planning year. This strengthens reliability during extreme system conditions.
A clear policy shift toward speed-to-power. The June meeting signaled perhaps the strongest policy emphasis in years on rapidly connecting new electric demand while maintaining reliability. The Commission characterized the integration of very large loads—especially AI-related facilities—as a national priority and indicated that existing interconnection practices may no longer be adequate
For universities, research campuses, hospitals, semiconductor manufacturers, and data center developers, the June 2026 meeting represents a significant shift in federal policy. Rather than treating large-load requests as exceptional cases, FERC is moving toward standardized, faster interconnection procedures coupled with clearer cost-allocation rules. Institutions planning major campus expansions or new energy-intensive facilities should monitor the forthcoming tariff revisions from their regional transmission organizations, as these changes could substantially affect project schedules, interconnection costs, and opportunities to incorporate on-site generation or microgrids.
Key Reliability & Cybersecurity Actions. FERC approved important updates to Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Reliability Standards. These included modernized rules for virtualization (allowing secure use of virtual machines), enhanced security management controls for low-impact cyber systems (CIP-003-11), and refinements to the definition of “control center” to better protect high-risk assets. The changes aim to strengthen the bulk-power system against rising cyber threats and extreme weather while reducing unnecessary administrative burdens.
Electric Rate and Complaint Resolutions. The Commission resolved several long-running rate complaints, including setting a base return on equity (ROE) of 9.57% for New England Transmission Owners. It addressed complaints involving spot market sales exceeding price caps in the WECC region and cost allocation issues in MISO related to DOE emergency orders. Several tariff revisions and generator interconnection filings were also accepted.
Other Actions. FERC modernized Electric Quarterly Report (EQR) filing requirements, authorized multiple asset transactions and dispositions, and approved several natural gas pipeline, storage, and abandonment projects. A presentation on the 2025 State of the Markets Report was also delivered.
FERC’s involvement in CHP plants at universities and hospitals depends on and how the facility interacts with the bulk electric power system and wholesale markets. In many cases, FERC’s role is indirect—but it can become significant under certain conditions. We cover this topic separately in our periodic US Department of Energy Combined Heat & Power eCATALOG
Next Open Meeting: May 21. Keep in mind that much “bandwidth” is devoted to administrative issues; the technical specifics of primary interest to us referenced in case dockets that are referenced here: FERC Online
The current full complement of five FERC commissioners is relatively new as of December 23, 2025. The two most recent additions — Chairman Laura V. Swett (term expiring June 30, 2030) and Commissioner David A. LaCerte (term expiring June 30, 2026) — were confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 7, 2025.
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This restored FERC to its full five members after prior vacancies and transitions earlier in the year. The other commissioners (David Rosner, Lindsay S. See, and Judy W. Chang) have been in place since mid-2024 or earlier, but the current lineup only fully formed about two and a half months ago.
Ω
This followed changes tied to the new administration, including shifts in majority and leadership.
January 22. Issues of interest discussed at the FERC Open Meeting on January 22, 2026, centered primarily on electric sector matters related to generator interconnection reforms, expedited processes for resource adequacy. Our interest lies in the effect of FERC action will have on the utility costs of educational settlements which, of course, practically involves all utilities and how those decisions are reflected in state tariffs.
One issue of particular interest for Michigan: Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO) Expedited Resource Addition Study (ERAS) process (Docket No. ER25-2454-002): The Commission addressed arguments on rehearing and sustained its prior July 21, 2025, order approving MISO’s ERAS framework. This provides an expedited interconnection study process for generation projects addressing urgent near-term resource adequacy and reliability needs in the MISO region. Discussions involved balancing reliability concerns (e.g., load growth, resource shortfalls) against claims of undue discrimination or preference in interconnection queuing, as raised by public interest groups. We will see these conclusions reflected in Michigan Public Service Commission action.Other agenda elements likely included routine administrative matters (e.g., A-1 Agency Administrative Matters, A-2 Customer Matters/Reliability/Security/Market Operations) and consent items (often non-controversial electric, gas, hydro, or certificate matters voted en bloc without discussion).
No major presentations were noted, and the meeting focused on these reliability/interconnection and market integrity issues amid broader grid challenges like queue backlogs, rapid load growth, and transitioning resources.The Q&A afterward involved energy media, with emphasis by Laura V. Swett on reliability concerns ahead of likely winter storms. The next public open meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 19th.
December 18. The public meetings are dominated by administrative procedures and mutual admiration. Technical issues that require in-depth, expert-level understanding of complex laws, rules, guidelines, and precedents beyond surface-level awareness appear deeper into the FERC website. There you will generally find:
Nuanced interpretation of statutes and agency decisions
Awareness of historical context and evolving policies
Insight into how rules interact with technical, economic, and operational realities
Impacts of changes and navigate compliance strategically
As interest and time allows we can pick through technical specifics regarding FERC oversight of interstate electricity with the IEEE colleagues.
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwBpic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
