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Watch the Full Conversation (20 min):
Every university has the same conversation: departments say they need more space, leadership says there's no budget for new buildings, and the data often tells a different story than either side expects. At the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Sujit Chemburkar has turned that tension into a discipline — one built on data, diplomacy, and a willingness to listen before proposing solutions. In this Bow Tie Tuesday conversation, CampusIQ CMO Veena Vadgama speaks with Sujit about his unconventional career path from student affairs to space planning, the campus-wide department shuffle that solved multiple space challenges without new construction, and why the best space decisions are made when planners spend as much time in the field as they do behind a desk.
Key Takeaways
— From student affairs to space planning: Sujit's career spanning student unions, event services, and facilities operations gives him a rare operational perspective. Having been the person who unclogged toilets and managed buildings, he never loses sight of how spaces actually function for the people who use them.
— Nobody owns space, but everybody thinks they do: Sujit's "truths" about campus space cut through the politics. His approach starts with asking departments what they need rather than letting them eye their neighbors' square footage.
— The Seahawk Shuffle: When Sujit identified unallocated space across campus, he mapped a chain of moves that simultaneously solved needs for research and innovation, advancement and alumni, the budget office, and Title IX — all without new construction. The result: departments right-sized into spaces that fit their function.
— Data informed, not data alone: UNCW uses EMS, Banner, and AiM databases for scheduling, course data, and space profiles. But Sujit emphasizes that the numbers only tell part of the story — workstation counts, remote and telework data from HR, and direct conversations with department leaders complete the picture.
— The keeper of secrets: Space planning requires confidentiality. Departments share sensitive plans and needs, and Sujit's team models solutions without revealing one group's requests to another — building trust that makes future collaboration possible.
— Space decisions carry weight: Behind every data point is a student meeting a significant other in a hallway, two faculty discovering a research collaboration, or a community gathering in a venue. Sujit's operational background keeps those human moments at the center of every planning decision.
Download the 2026 State of Space Management Report
Sujit's story is one of dozens shaping how higher education thinks about space. The 2026 State of Space Management in Higher Education report captures what leaders across 50+ institutions are doing to make data informed space decisions. Download your copy here.