Earlier this week, our team was in Nashville for the Campus Facilities Summit to meet with heads of facilities, capital planning, construction, and engineering from the best colleges and universities nationwide. Connecting with these college and university leaders overseeing all design and construction aspects was a pleasure.
One of the biggest concerns among college and university facilities and capital planning executives was the issue of limited budgets: Do more with less while making your university its best! Unfortunately, funding cuts across the higher education industry have created the need to strictly budget time, money, and workforce more urgently than ever.
Over the next five years, it is predicted that the higher education sector will continue to face significant challenges that will require it to review its operations and product portfolio to improve profitability and maintain the ongoing health of the industry. Here we examine the top 3 key trends that are transforming college and university facilities management and capital planning right now:
1. Re-Imagining Where Learning Takes Place at Colleges and Universities
In a recent study conducted among management-oriented higher education associations in the United States, an increasing number of higher college and university leaders identify challenges associated with "aging and expanding facilities" as one of the top change drivers in the field. This concern was exceeded only by insufficient financial resources, changes in IT, and student demographics.
Please read our blog to discover the key takeaways from the 2018 APPA Leadership in Educational Facilities Conference >
In the same report, "insufficient facilities" were also cited among the critical issues impacting the success of college and university facilities. The study acknowledges that leadership is "key to ensure higher education's future success and mitigate its threats."
As teaching delivery models evolve, so have the spaces needed for learning. For example, the need for traditional lecture halls has decreased with the rise of smaller class sizes, which serve to increase collaboration. Now it is more likely that the lecture hall will sit empty while professors take their students into smaller classrooms more accommodating for interactive and collaborative learning.
Please read our blog to learn more about how the physical environment impacts student success >
This change to how students and educators interact has encouraged schools to re-imagine how they use their existing spaces to meet these evolving needs. Unsurprisingly, many universities are conducting space utilization case studies to discover how to use existing space more effectively rather than building new facilities.
2. Transforming the College and University Campus into a Strategic Asset with Technology
Staying updated on using data and insight tools to improve facilities and get the most out of your institution's physical assets is one of the most efficient ways to cut costs.
When it comes to capital planning, a strategic software solution like FOUNDATION. Plans will help colleges and universities develop accurate and transparent capital improvement plans that strategically prioritize capital investments and mitigate risks. In addition, with FOUNDATION. You can easily manage deferred maintenance with a clear understanding of immediate versus long-term improvements.
Would you like to learn more about FOUNDATION? Plans? Contact us >
With a powerful software solution like the FOUNDATION Solution, college and university facility managers can leverage building and asset data and turn them into actionable insights.
3. College and University Facilities are Becoming Environmental Innovators
Education institutions have become leaders in pursuing environmental and sustainability goals due to past Environmental Protection Agency regulations and compliance requirements.
Increasingly, colleges and universities are identifying areas where they can go beyond mere compliance and evolve into proactive management to support more progressive campus-wide environmental and sustainability goals.
Since 1996, industry associations APPA and CSHEMA have collaborated on publishing an annual environmental management guide to help facility managers go above and beyond.
Environmental compliance requirements are continually evolving and are becoming increasingly complex. Therefore, it's essential to have a collaborative and continuous improvement mindset to protect a school's reputation from non-compliance citations effectively. A strategic software solution like FOUNDATION, a full-service platform that collects data and insights from conditions assessments to capital improvement plans, can reveal new ways to empower college and university facility and capital planning professionals to find hidden value and maximize resources.
Today, colleges and universities are expected to be good stewards of the environment and ensure they stay compliant and become sustainability innovators.
Conclusion
The good news is that Intellis' innovative technologies and platforms in facility management and capital planning software empower universities and colleges to work smarter and more efficiently. Whether the colleges and universities are growing enrollment, shrinking on-campus presence, or facing aging buildings, Intellis' platform offers an efficient, affordable, adaptable solution for college and university facilities and business officers.
Learn more about our solutions designed to meet the needs of today's education facilities >
Technology should empower your team to improve efficiency and workflow. Staying updated on using data and insight tools for facilities is an easy way to cut costs. With the help of enterprise software like FOUNDATION, facility managers and capital planners can leverage building data and turn it into actionable insights.
With robust, data-centric work systems tailored to your needs, you won't have to waste the opportunity to achieve more for your institution. At Intellis, we look forward to seeing educational institutions progress across these areas. We're proud to be an ally in helping colleges and universities work smarter to reach new levels of success!
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