Faculty Focus: Student Voices Shape Campus Design Through LEAD Service-Learning Project
May 21, 2026
When students see that their ideas can influence the spaces where they learn, classroom assignments take on new meaning.
That was the experience for students in Professor Susan Meigs’ Composition II course this spring. As part of Austin Community College’s (ACC’s) Liberal Education Advancement and Development (LEAD) initiative, Meigs partnered with ACC’s Campus Planning, Construction and Sustainability team and representatives from the Vibrant Student Community Design Team to create a service-learning opportunity focused on creating more “sticky spaces” at the South Austin Campus.
During the visit, students shared feedback on sustainability efforts, campus design preferences and ideas for creating more welcoming and engaging areas where students naturally want to spend time studying, connecting and building community. The project invited students to apply the research, writing and critical thinking skills they were developing in Composition II to a real challenge facing the College: how to design campus environments that foster belonging and support student success.
“The presentation about sticky spaces at ACC inspired several of my Comp II students to research and propose changes to the South Austin Campus to make the campus more welcoming and conducive to learning,” Meigs said.
The experience also helped students see that their perspectives matter.
“One of the most memorable parts of this course would be the day people from ACC came to get our opinions on how they could improve each campus,” one student wrote. “It made me feel really supported and part of a community where my opinion could potentially make a difference.”
The project aligns closely with the goals of LEAD, an interdisciplinary initiative that integrates high-impact practices and character-driven pedagogy across the curriculum. Through approaches such as service-learning, undergraduate research and collaborative projects, LEAD helps students connect classroom learning to meaningful, real-world experiences.
For Meigs’ students, the assignment transformed academic writing into civic engagement. Their proposals outlined concrete ways to make the South Austin Campus more comfortable, inclusive and supportive of a diverse student population.
The partnership also supports the work of the Vibrant Student Community Design Team, which is developing strategies to increase welcoming spaces across the district and strengthen students’ sense of belonging and connection. By connecting course outcomes with institutional priorities, the project demonstrated how service-learning can deepen student engagement while contributing to ACC’s ongoing efforts to create campuses where every student feels seen, valued and empowered to succeed.
Faculty interested in incorporating service-learning into their courses can contact Service-Learning Coordinator Linda Cox at [email protected]. To learn more about the LEAD initiative, visit the LEAD website.