Campus relocations can take many forms — from moving irreplaceable teaching collections, including a seven-ton fossil, to transitioning the contents and operations of a major athletics venue.

At Tufts University and Northeastern University, two very different moves show how campuses can decant at scale by matching the right logistics strategy to the right environment. Tufts’ relocation of its Earth and Climate Sciences department into Bacon Hall required a preservation-first approach for specialized labs and teaching collections. Northeastern’s moveout of Matthews Arena required an operations-driven approach to relocate arena occupants, contents and activities to other campus locations while the old arena is demolished, the site is prepared and a new arena is built.

Better Understanding Campus Decanting

Campus decanting is a coordinated sequence of relocations designed to keep teaching, research, athletics and campus life moving during major facility transitions. One move may involve museum-grade collections requiring custom handling and documentation; another may involve athletics spaces operating under fixed schedules, public visibility and alumni interest.

Effective decanting starts with understanding what is at risk — and aligning the move strategy accordingly.

Protecting Teaching Collections

At Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, the relocation of the Earth and Climate Sciences department into the newly renovated Bacon Hall included thousands of rocks and minerals, plaster casts, bone clones, fossils, specialized teaching labs and field research equipment. The materials ranged from viles of sand granules to a seven-ton dinosaur track fossil, many of them irreplaceable and central to hands-on learning.

The primary risks were damage, loss of provenance and downtime. Addressing them required a museum-grade logistics approach built around preservation, documentation and highly controlled handling.

Rock and mineral collections were categorized, labeled, and prepared for transport accordingly. A critical step in this process included “mapping” the “from” and “to” locations for each collection to be placed in the pre-assigned destination within the new building. In some cases, custom mounting and anchoring solutions were used to safely secure specimens in the new space.

Moves occurred over a four-week period, with each day following a choreographed sequence and with hands-on supervision at both the origin and the destination. For larger, heavier fossils and specimens, a rigging team was engaged to relocate and place these irreplaceable pieces. Success was measured by verified specimen condition, secure installation and readiness for teaching use.

Maintaining Athletic Continuity

At Northeastern University in Boston, replacing Matthews Arena — the oldest operational ice hockey and basketball arena in the United States — required a different model. The defining risk was disruption to a highly visible, schedule-bound athletics environment.

Athletic calendars, alternate-venue coordination, demolition planning and campus visibility all shaped moveout sequencing. Even short interruptions could affect student athletes, staff, scheduled events and construction of the new arena.

Planning focused on aligning transitions with athletic schedules, coordinating facilities, athletics and external partners, and confirming alternate venues were ready before programs shifted. Success depended on maintaining access to competition, training and events throughout the transition.

Together, the Tufts and Northeastern examples show that campus decanting requires both tailored execution and a consistent framework for managing risk.

One Governance Model, Multiple Risk Tiers

While each move required a different approach, both benefited from a shared governance framework that helped evaluate risk and deploy resources where they mattered most.

Rather than forcing all assets into a single process, this approach recognizes distinct risk tiers, including:

• Museum-grade assets, where preservation and documentation are paramount
• Operations-driven environments, where schedule certainty and visibility drive decisions

This structure creates clarity around readiness, priorities and accountability across concurrent moves.

Measuring What Matters to Campuses

Schedule and budget remain important, but they rarely tell the full story in higher education relocations. More meaningful measures include:

• Zero damage incidents and verified condition reports for sensitive assets
• Days of teaching, research or athletics preserved during transition
• Transparent documentation supporting move scope and invoicing

Aligning metrics with institutional priorities strengthens decision-making and reinforces accountability for continuity and readiness.

A Repeatable Approach to Campus Decanting

Successful campus relocations follow a consistent lifecycle: discovery, planning, preparation, implementation and closeout. Whether protecting museum-grade geological collections or maintaining athletics operations, the goal is the same: aligning logistics with risk so institutions can modernize facilities without disrupting the campus experience.