Keeping Up With Facilities and Maintenance

This month’s issue of College Planning & Management focuses on facilities — from our 2012 Living on Campus report to our 2012 Education Design Showcase.

Colleges and universities own some of the most valuable real estate in the world. Despite aging facilities and budget cuts, they are doing an admirable job protecting the assets they have. The funding gap is being counterbalanced by the extra efforts of their facilities maintenance staff. Leadership has improved and complacency has been replaced by employee engagement — two welcomed (although somewhat unexpected) benefits in these tight economic times.

Even with all of their efforts, the amount of deferred maintenance is a growing concern among facilities departments. In our annual survey on residence halls facilities, the issue of deferred maintenance came in second only to student/parent expectations on the list of “top concerns.” While these two issues seem to focus on different areas, they are really connected in many ways. The condition of facilities has a profound effect on recruiting and retaining both students and staff. In fact, our survey tells us that 91 percent of institutions feel that the quality of their on-campus housing is a determining factor in whether a student will attend their institutions.

Quality is more than curb appeal. Too often “curb appeal” wins the battle over real maintenance issues because it is visible. Outside we landscape and plant flowers, while inside the infrastructure falls apart. We allocate funds for “emergency” repairs, solving immediate problems, but ignoring the source of the problem — the need for regular maintenance. A great deal of “regular maintenance” requires staff, time, and accountability, not money. Colleges and universities need to be sure to thank their staff for their efforts to keep facilities running and the lights on. After all, maintaining our existing facilities should have the same 
significance as building them. 

Featured

  • University of Connecticut Upgrades Basketball Facility’s AV Systems

    The University of Connecticut recently partnered with Metinteractive to upgrade the AV systems of the Gampel Pavilion basketball facility on its campus in Mansfield, Conn., according to a news release.

  • Texas A&M Adds ALPR Technology to Parking Solutions

    Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, recently integrated automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology into its parking services and enforcement strategies, according to a news release. The university’s Transportation Services division deployed Genetec AutoVu ALPR to manage the campus’ 36,000+ parking spaces.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2025 New Product Awards

    Spaces4Learning is now accepting entries for the 2025 New Product Awards! The program’s goal is to honor the outstanding product development achievements of manufacturers and suppliers whose products and services are particularly noteworthy in helping to improve K–12 and Higher Education learning environments.

  • Illinois Elementary School Breaks Ground on Campus Expansion

    Heather Hill Elementary School, part of Flossmoor School District 161 in Palatine, Ill., recently broke ground on a new addition to the school focused on student support and security, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers for the expansion as part of a longer-term facility planning and modernization initiative.

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