There is simply no way around it, your department will have to know what it wants, and what the administration will support before you hire a consultant. Visits to exemplary labs are also suggested. Often, they are within easy driving range. In November, I participated in a walk-through of our main Humanities teaching building, Emeritus Hall. Built in the late seventies, it is need of re-habing.
Satellite campuses are a similar issue.
Here again, we must see to it that adequate computer and presentation facilities are at hand from the initial phase of the satellite's existence, and furthermore, that the technical capacity exists to support distance learning from the main campus language lab. As we all know, community colleges are not the same as four year institutions. Often, they are not as well endowed in terms of finances, but charged nevertheless to accomplish the difficult task of opening the door to higher education for the less privileged and less affluent students of our society, while maintaining standards comparable to the larger college and university system. Our student body is very diverse in terms of background, ability and age. At Santa Rosa Junior College, the average student is 35 years old.