All Articles


Videoconferencing: Green With Envy

When it comes to green initiatives, Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green sticks to a very old-fashioned concept: Officials here emphasize less driving. And they do it by offering a bevy of cutting-edge technology solutions that give professo

Going Green By Thinking Blue

Imagine a place where rainwater and ecology are part of a child's curriculum, where the amenities around the school are developed upon a framework of design principles that reintegrate students into the environment.

Taming the Beast: Making Data Centers More Energy Efficient

Because data centers are such energy hogs, many building owners assume they can't pursue a LEED-certified green building because their center cancels out the sustainable effects of the rest of the building. But by applying some of the fundamental ten

Why Total Project Management?

Total Project Management (TPM) is an exclusive process that provides a single source of responsibility for all planning, architecture, and construction needs. This process increases accountability, eliminates the blame game, streamlines the scope of work,

'Green' Can Be Relative to Your Region

School district decision-makers face a multitude of challenges, but possibly one of the biggest responsibilities they are charged with is creating schools that offer productive learning environments while being fiscally responsible to tax payers. They wan

Guide to Financing EnergySmart Schools

With the recent passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, school districts nationwide have an unprecedented opportunity to construct new high-performance schools and modernize existing facilities to significantly decrease energy consumption a

Green 2.0

Building Green and educational environments for special-needs students.

Which Grass Is Greener?

I do not know how many Astroturf or similar playing fields are still in existence, but the original enthusiasm has declined, in part because of the hardness of the playing surface. But the problem that Astroturf seemed to solve — the overuse and dete

Getting to the Heart of Cleaning and Maintenance

They say a cluttered desk reflects a cluttered mind. We can also say that a cluttered janitorial closet may reflect a custodial crew that is disorganized, lacks efficient training, and is generally unprofessional. Further, a messy closet can cause a lot o

ARRA Funding and School Libraries

Our current economic climate has affected numerous areas in education, including libraries. Districts have less money to go around, but their libraries may find some relief through money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

A Seat at the Table

Sure price matters, but it's not the most important factor when making furniture purchases. Purchasing managers keep a lot of different balls in the air when deciding what to get and from whom. If your school is buying in the future, here are some fa

Computer Storage: Larger, Cheaper, and More Problematic

As storage technology evolves rapidly and is paralleled by what is proving to be an insatiable demand for stored information, institutions must tread very carefully. Short-term decisions will inevitably have a compounding effect. Planning and policies are

Maintenance for Carpets and Floors

The technology for effectively cleaning carpets and rugs has been in place, or so it might be assumed, for many decades. However, in 2000, the Dalton, GA-based Carpet and Rug Institute, Inc., responding to customer complaints, made some startling discover

Nothing 'Extra' About Music and Arts

I may be a little biased when it comes to supporting music and the arts, but with good reason. I spent my happiest (and most productive) days in college as a part of a performing group, the I-Uppers. Our director, Leonard DeFabo (head of IUP's psycho

Tackling Change on Campus

While change can be challenging, it also brings with it an opportunity for advancement and an air of excitement. With many alternatives for expansion — whether it's a new building, addition, renovation, or combination — it's best to ex

The Dangers of Target Identifiers

From time to time, campus officials have been attacked in their offices, on campus grounds, or in campus parking areas. Some of these attacks relate to angry students, employees who have been terminated or suspended, attacks by animal rights extremists, o

Computer Sentry

Video analytics enables video surveillance systems to look for and report suspicious activity occurs. Complex mathematical formulas underpin the video analytic software applications that can identify and track objects, offering powerful capabilities to co

Seeing Eye Cameras

Video analytics systems make security officers proactive. The technology sees potential safety or security problems as they take shape and alerts a security officer who evaluates the situation and decides to intervene or not. It transforms video surveilla

Behind The Scenes: Furnishing the Maintenance Department

It's a story as old as new furniture itself… what to do with the old stuff. Throwing away perfectly good furnishings doesn't make sense, so the shabbies get handed down and down and down until they end up in the maintenance department. Ther

Your Attention, Please!

Schools are no longer equipped with the old gun where you pull the lever and hear bells ringing all over. Instead, today's schools are outfitted with technology-rich public address systems, intercom systems, and clocks that keep lines of communicatio

Athletic Facility Flooring: What's Available?

It would appear that specifying flooring for an athletic facility would be a snap: hardwood floor for the gymnasium, resilient for the entryway and hallways, rubber for the exercise rooms. Well, appearances can be deceiving. The truth is, there are a lot

Digital Edition