Fond Farewells

As this year comes to an end and a new one is about to start, we look ahead with hope and anticipation. In January we will have a new president in the White House with new ideas about how to improve our education system and make higher education easier to access and pay for. A new secretary of education will be named. Funding, student loans and the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act will headline the ensuing debate.

Change is happening everywhere. Here at CP&M two of our longtime authors, Paul Abramson and Mike Steger, have written their last columns. Both have been long-time partners of the magazine, dedicating themselves to the betterment of education and the facilities where students learn.

Mike Steger has been the CP&M Maintenance & Operations columnist since 2000, sharing experiences and insights and providing advice. Mike honed his supervisory and management skills in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne in the early to mid-1980s. His career in higher education ranges from housekeeping and project management at Regis University, to plant services director for the University of Mobile, to physical plant services director at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL, where his assignments were expanded to include construction and renovation project management, to his current post as facilities management director at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa. Mike was also a founding member of FLAPPA, Florida’s educational and networking organization for higher ed facilities officers. He has served FLAPPA as VP for Administrative Affairs, president and VP for Financial Affairs. A leader, a practitioner and a great writer, Mike will be hard to replace!

Also leaving will be Paul Abramson. Paul was instrumental in the development of CP&M as a standalone magazine in 1998 (prior to 1998, CP&M was a special section that appeared in School Planning & Management magazine). Currently, he serves as education industry analyst for CP&M and as the author of our annual studies on college construction. His in-depth knowledge of the industry, his analytical ability and his personal resolve have led him to identify trends, research and develop new methods and formulate better ways to get the job done — improving schools and the profession as a whole. I have known Paul for nearly 35 years and watched him work tirelessly to promote the creative and responsible planning of educational facilities. We wish him well and want him to know that he has been appreciated and will be missed!

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

  • Upcoming University of Alabama Performing Arts Center Hits Construction Milestone

    The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., recently celebrated the topping out of its new Smith Family Center for Performing Arts, according to a news release. The university is partnering with HPM for program and project management on the facility, which broke ground in 2023 and is scheduled for completion in November 2026.

  • Abstract tech network data connections with orange, blue glowing dots, lines

    3 Trends for Higher Education to Stay Ahead of in 2026

    As universities enter the new year, the question is no longer whether digital transformation is necessary, but how quickly institutions can convert technological potential into strategic advantage.

Digital Edition