Higher Ed


Sounding Out Smart Design for Academic Research Facilities

Academic research facilities are specialized spaces and therefore require unique design for acoustics and noise and vibration control, especially when sensitive equipment is in use. Whether inside or outside, common vibration and noise sources — such

Controlling the Future

It doesn't take a 40-page document with the I's dotted and T's crossed, consultants say, to make a huge difference in who will lead your university's future. Instead, it takes a commitment to planning for that leader, period.

Technology in the Higher Ed Classroom: Online Learning in the 21st Century

This month, while some students are heading back to campus to start their fall classes, others may be heading to their computer instead. With rising costs associated with education, including gas prices for commuting students, online classes and degree pr

What if… Visualizing Change in the Learning Environment

As student populations decline, global competition becomes even fiercer, and energy costs continue to rise, these pressures are only going to increase, and colleges are going to need to evolve rapidly to maintain their viability. Because the physical camp

Tell Them What Not to Do

Campus emergency preparedness plans should provide specific and practical action steps for employees to perform in the event of a crisis. However, personnel must be provided with specific information on actions they should avoid during crisis situations.

No Free Lunch

Or free music, movies, or ringtones, for that matter. Peer-to-peer file sharing programs allowed computer users to swap copyrighted material for free. And swap they did. As the Recording Industry Association of America gets serious about curbing illegal d

Programmed Carpet Cleaning for Commercial Buildings

Maintenance and cleaning of floor coverings plays a critical role in occupant health and safety, aesthetics, flooring performance, and investment protection; therefore, campus facilities present significant carpet maintenance and cleaning challenges. Thos

Integration in 3D

A more recent hot topic in the campus security is "integration." Integration seeks to bridge the gap between fire safety and security. Integration attempts to address years of the disconnected accumulation of products. Integration also holds the

Seeing Clearly: Specifying Energy-Efficient Windows and Glass-Paneled Doors

Gone are the days when merely specifying insulating glass was enough to satisfy a demand for energy-efficient windows and glass-paneled doors. Now, with green building and LEED leading the way, knowledge of glazing, coatings, and framing options is essent

Boiler Retrofits Help Increase Efficiency, Lower Energy Bills

Escalating energy bills are a major factor contributing to the shrinking amount of money available to be put toward the education system. Boilers consume large amounts of fuel for indoor climate control and domestic hot water. With one-third of a college&

A Second Chance

It's a dilemma many campuses struggle with: exactly what do you do with the old furniture? Institutions like Georgetown University, the University of San Diego, the University of California system, and Stanford University, to name a few, have turned

Getting the Word Out: Digital Signage Improves Campus Communication

College administrators are putting an increased emphasis on improving their ability to communicate with students, staff, and visitors quickly and effectively. It's no wonder academic institutions across the country — large and small — are o

A Reintroduction to Induction Lighting

About 30 years ago a new lighting technology became available without much fanfare, but it only gained popularity after being reintroduced in the 1990s. With induction lighting's obvious benefits of a long lifespan and little-to-no maintenance, are c

Welcome to the Machine

Next time you look around your campus kitchens, take a special glance at your appliances. Your foodservice appliances are big-ticket items. These expensive implements make your staff's lives easier and your foodservices run smoothly. What does it tak

An Intergenerational Approach to Campus Living

When David Warren moved to Delaware, OH, to start his tenure as president of Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) in the 1980s, he had a slight problem: The president's house would not be ready for occupancy for several months. But instead of moving into a

Campus Alert: Smart Cards Enhance Security

Read any admissions' brochure or attend an event at a college or university, and you'll likely learn about its link to the community. Many campus grounds are easily accessed; fences are low or nonexistent, there are few security checkpoints, and

The Benefits of a Campus Arboretum

True or false? To be officially certified, an arboretum must include a minimum of 250 different species of trees on a minimum of 50 acres. False. The truth of the matter is that there is no official arboretum-certifying body — any outdoor space can b

The Presidential Search: Sticky Wickets

The perils and pitfalls of the search process could consume an entire volume, but based upon our experience as both candidates and search consultants, there are three common junctures at which the process often becomes derailed.

Does Your Preparedness Plan Have the Proper Voice?

While evaluating a campus preparedness plan for a client recently, I noticed a common problem. The plan was painstakingly developed with superb detail. But as I reviewed the action steps for each protocol, it became apparent that the voice of the plan cha

Arming Security on Campus

Colleges and universities across the nation have been making the decision to allow security officers to carry firearms. This month we talked with Bill Corner, Calvin College's campus safety director. Located in Grand Rapids, MI, Calvin College, will

The Free E-Mail Express: Prime Features, Low Risk

Free! Robust e-mail platform that offers six gigabytes of storage space, familiar Web-based interface, integrated chat and calendar software, superior spam blocking and virus protection, no data backup necessary, and no hardware or software upgrades. All

Selecting ENS Systems

Most mid-sized and large public K-12 school systems and many independent K-12 schools have had some form of emergency notification system (ENS) in place for several years. Though some institutions of higher learning have also had these systems in place, m

Morgan State University: Taking Advantage of "Texting" on Campus

Baltimore's Morgan State University is positioning itself to meet this challenge by evaluating all marketing efforts and determining which are going to work and keep us within our budgets. One of the ways we are doing this is through the use of mobil

Greening the Maintenance Arsenal

Maintenance professionals play a critical role in an institution's environmental program, and the procedures and tools at their disposal continue to evolve as new products and equipment — or improvements to existing offerings — become avail

Reducing Health Concerns on Campus

Campus safety concerns extend beyond emergency communications and adequate lighting. Asbestos, lead, mold, and radon pose health risks that must be addressed and remediated.

Coping With Rising Fuel Costs on Campus

Fuel prices have been rising steadily in recent years, and these high prices have become a constant topic in the news, and even in our current Presidential election. This month we focused on solutions colleges and universities are employing to compensate

Online University Programs: Opportunity or Competition?

Online university programs have the power to leverage the Internet to transcend distance and time constraints, providing new and expanded ways of teaching, learning, and collaboration on an international level. Unfortunately, these programs can also be th

Facts on the Hot Tin Roofs

Anything green grabs the headlines today, so it's no surprise manufacturers lead off the benefits list with metal roofs' earth-saving traits. The actual steel or aluminum itself is typically made from 60 percent recycled materials, according to

Purdue Students Prefer to Go Solo

Purdue University Residences is providing the privacy option with a new 365-bed, two-building, 163,000-sq.-ft. complex at the center of campus that provides each student with a private bedroom and bathroom. When the new residence hall opens in 2009, Purdu

Be Prepared

Large storms remain just one of many disasters that campuses must be prepared for. Other disasters that require the same amount of attention and training include pandemic illness, fire safety, active shooter incidents, and bomb threats. Each of these situ

Vista: A Long Time Coming, or Going?

In February 2007, I wrote about Windows Vista in this column and described it as a significant evolutionary step forward in Microsoft's Windows operating systems My initial research and my early experiences led me to relate that Vista was indeed pos

Practice Makes Perfect: The Boom in Athletic Training Facilities

Campus athletic facilities play an ever-increasing role in program success.

All Tricked Out

Classroom furniture must balance technology with flexibility. How are schools outfitting their classrooms to get the best of both worlds?

VoIP, Like It or Not

College and university telecommunications managers prepare for the age of VoIP — not because they want to, because they need to.

LED Displays: The Best and the Brightest Make the Team

LED display technology is bringing a host of benefits to collegiate athletic facilities.

Tennis Courts 101

As colleges and universities continue to enhance their athletic facilities, modern tennis courts have become an essential piece of the puzzle.

Greening Athletics Beyond the Playing Field

Campus athletic facilities are getting greener.

Shared Facilities: Working out the Kinks

Michigan's Lansing Community College is partnering with six four-year institutions to bring high-demand educational opportunities to students. Here's an examination of the program and the shared facility.

Working With Modular

Modular construction offers a myriad of design options and is used increasingly to construct projects for higher education clients.

Emergency Evacuation Kits

The emergency evacuation kit is a portable container that allows key campus officials to easily take critical information with them should they need to evacuate a facility or manage a crisis situation inside the facility.