Researcher ORCID Identifier
0009-0000-2044-4192
Graduation Year
2026
Date of Submission
12-2025
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Reader 1
Barbara Junisbai
Reader 2
Dionne Bensonsmith
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
2025CelineCBernhardt-Lanier
Abstract
College students are often told to be “innovative” and to prepare themselves for a rapidly changing job market. Yet, most institutional learning environments are built for everything but that, focusing on efficiency, mastery, and content delivery. The Hive, formerly known as the Rick and Susan Sontag Center for Collaborative Creativity, pushes against this reality in higher ed. Founded ten years ago and nestled in a corner of East 7th Street in Claremont, California, the Hive brings together students, faculty, and staff through workshops, classes, skillshares, and events that are centered around making, reflecting, and collaborating. Drawing on eight semi-structured interviews with Hive staff, faculty, and students, along with participant observation and document review, this qualitative case study examines the key successes and challenges that have characterized the Hive in its first decade, and what lessons it offers for other higher education spaces hoping to build similar creative hubs.
Three successes emerged most clearly from the findings: a strong “learn-by-doing” ethos grounded in Human-Centered Design; a cultural and physical environment that gives students permission to experiment, play, and feel psychologically safe; and the Hive’s role in giving students a sense of collaboration and belonging. At the same time, two challenges surfaced related to the Hive’s in-between position within the 5Cs, as it is not a traditional academic space and not entirely extracurricular, creating challenges around institutional legitimacy and sustaining creative energy over time. The discussion centers the voices of those inside the Hive, allowing readers to glean their own takeaways about what is needed to cultivate and sustain a creative learning environment. The project concludes with a creative portfolio that reflects the Hive’s ethos: experimentation, iteration, and the confidence to try things that might fail.
Recommended Citation
Bernhardt-Lanier, Celine, "10 Years of the Hive: Successes, Challenges, and Lessons for Designing Creative Learning Hubs in Higher Education" (2026). CMC Senior Theses. 4312.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/4312
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