CIC Historic Campus Architecture Project Website

Leadership Development Opportunties • Connecting Institutional Leaders • Serving Faculty Members • Fostering Students' Success • Resources and Tools • Partnerships •

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CIC accepting information about new institutions?

CIC accepted completed surveys through January 31, 2007 from eligible institutions that had not participated before and added these new institutions, along with additional updates, in Fall 2007. At this point, project activities have closed and CIC is not accepting additional surveys for posting on the HCAP site; however, CIC may choose to accept additional surveys at a later time. If so, application instructions will be posted here on the CIC website.

How were the participating institutions chosen?

In 2002, CIC invited the presidents of more than 700 independent colleges and universities in the United States to participate in this Getty-funded initiative. To date the Historic Campus Architecture Project includes nearly 400 four-year institutions that are independent, B.A.-granting, and enroll fewer than 5000 students.

Each eligible institution that chose to participate designated a campus liaison who completed the HCAP application form. Since 2004 the project director, Barbara Christen, worked with a small staff to prepare the website for its November 2006 launch. The preparations included extensive editing of the images and narratives that institutions submitted.

What were the criteria for inclusion of historic sites in the website?

For detailed information on the guidelines and criteria used in developing HCAP, visit the online version of the HCAP questionnaire at: http://www.cic.edu/projects_services/grants/getty_questionnaire.pdf.

After the campus liaisons completed their surveys, they were submitted to project staff. Campus liaisons were asked to think carefully about what places on campus were the most meaningful and important to the institution, to its students and faculty, and to the local community, state, and nation. CIC expressed interest in places (buildings and spaces alike) that were not especially well documented, including works of modern and vernacular architecture, as well as designed or natural features in the landscape. There was also interest in places that may have been documented by agencies such as the National Register of Historic Places, the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)/Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and local historic groups. Places identified as significant needed not have been officially documented by the National Register or HABS/HAER. What mattered was their importance in the minds of people who know and use the campus.

My institution would like to update its entry on the website. Is CIC still accepting updates?

At this point, project activities and funding have closed. CIC is not accepting additional information or updates for posting on the HCAP site. If CIC chooses to accept updates at a later time, application instructions will be posted here on the CIC website.

Why are public institutions not included in the HCAP website?

Most of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States are private. Historic buildings on the campuses of small colleges and universities offer a rich and vital resource for understanding the history and cultural significance of architecture, design, and planning from colonial times to the present. These buildings also offer plentiful evidence of the relationship between physical facilities and educational objectives.

By and large, public institutions of higher education and their campuses are very different in form and function, as well as in the ways that they relate to their communities. CIC hopes that the success of HCAP will encourage other sectors of American higher education, including public universities, community colleges, seminaries, and specialized institutions, to develop their own projects on historic campus architecture.

If you have further questions about the Historic Campus Architecture Project Website, please email gettysurvey@cic.nche.edu .