Campuses across the country are developing sustainable principles as the building blocks of the twenty-first century. The University of Georgia is lagging behind the higher education community in the area of sustainable planning, construction, and academic development. With an understanding of the factors that changed and effected campus development in America over the course of three hundred years, this thesis will illustrate that campuses are not static places, but constantly changing institutions that reflect our society. Great changes in history have brought about change on campuses and the sustainability movement is the next great change agent effecting campus life. By studying what planning processes have failed and which ones have succeeded, a course of action for developing sustainable guidelines can lead to acceptance. A case study of The University of California at Merced will demonstrate how campuses can succeed if a holistic approach is developed and the institution is committed.