The classroom is an important resource for effective teaching and learning. The classroom does not only address the physical structure but also the emotional parameters of the room. However, focus must be placed on the physical aspects of classroom design. This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to explore the perceptions of higher education leaders about classroom design in higher education. Three (3) higher education leaders were subjected to semi-structured interviews guided by an interview protocol of Ten (10) questions, the responses of which were manually analyzed. The findings of the study concluded that the classroom is not confined to a brick-mortar structure, but anywhere that is conducive to facilitating teaching and learning consistent with the facilitators' or lecturers' lesson plan. The learning environment is essential for teaching and learning; however, funding is a major obstacle to have classrooms retrofitted with the requisite resources. This is further compounded by weaknesses in the procurement protocol, as well as, substandard leadership (autonomy) for decision-making, and thus lends to the inability of higher education institutions to meet the educational needs of 21st-century students. Transformational leadership is critical to motivate students and lecturers to be academic successors. The classroom or learning environment must be equipped with all the resources (physical and emotional) for adult learners to access and utilize for a rich teaching and learning experience. However, while higher education leaders are ambitious and demonstrate the tenets of a transformational leader to make the learning environment an exceptional one for academic performance, the higher education institutions are challenged concerning resources and thus, the resource-dependent theory is not fully embraced by the higher education institutions based on the perceptions of the higher education leaders. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]