Describes how Oregon State University was able to implement an effective facility stewardship plan for its Student Union building. Details how previous plans did not allocate enough money for renewal and maintenance and how administrators worked with students, state funding agencies, and federal programs to renovate and maintain the structure.…

Contracting for noneducational services is standard operating procedure in many school districts. Private contractors are involved in transportation, food service, maintenance, and even, in rare cases, instruction. Before deciding to contract out, school boards should examine improvement to school-run operations before making a final decision.…

Catching up with deferred maintenance and improvements at colleges and universities has become a serious problem of time and money, and new federal state, and local safety regulations are increasing costs. Some contend administrators have failed to provide leadership at their own institutions. (MSE)

Describes how Office of Residential Life at one university met maintenance challenges facing its residential and food-service facilities. Discusses study conducted in 1992 to evaluate widespread management practices and addresses its findings, including six recommended practices. Examines development and implementation of facilities audit,…

When budgets are tight, administrators have to find ways to provide and maintain facilities without draining their budgets. Fortunately, advancements in technology, new ideas in construction and design, and savvy management strategies are available that enable schools and universities to spend their money more wisely and efficiently. Here are 10…

Maintenance and operations (M&O) requirements dominate the life-cycle cost of a school facility. Historically, facility managers have struggled to secure funding to meet these requirements. Many deferred-maintenance issues result directly from M&O underfunding. However, new approaches and technologies now enable facility managers to use…

Harvard's energy conservation plan is presented in detail with the hope that it will suggest practical, cost-effective energy-saving ideas to other institutions, and to dispel frequently-expressed fears concerning the feasibility and acceptance problems of this type of program. The total energy plan incorporates numerous specific elements that…

Describes the approach taken by the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee to budgeting for maintenance of general-assignment classrooms, noting the advantages of this straightforward and transparent model, its limitations, information needs, and the assumptions underlying the renovation model that emerged from this analysis. Technology costs are…

The poor condition of many schools and other educational buildings is giving rise to increasing concern in many countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation. The disparity between concern with deterioration of educational buildings and the failure to fund improvements and/or maintenance is referred to as…

The National Governors' Association Task Force on School Facilities termed $250 billion worth of underused and poorly maintained public school facilities a disgrace. The governors believe that no community should be hampered by state laws or regulations governing usage for community education purposes. States should act immediately to restore…

Successful facilities management is described as based on a 10-point comprehensive program including: (1) physical planning policy; (2) facilities analysis; (3) management audit; (4) space utilization; (5) capital programs; (6) deferred maintenance; (7) controlled maintenance; (8) energy conservation; (9) environmental quality, health, and safety;…

Identifies two major administrative problems: (1) schools need instructional leadership, but management tasks take most of a principal's time, and (2) teachers want professional development leadership to come from within their own ranks. Examines myths and realities of the principal's role and describes master teacher leadership structures already…

The role of college lay governing boards in the 1980s is addressed. Focus is on trustees' responsibilities with respect to litigation, government regulation, private gifts and tax reform, academic tenure, faculty unions, interinstitutional cooperation, deferred maintenance of college buildings, accreditation, and public image. (JMD)

Changes in staffing patterns of Finnish universities are examined, particularly the increase in administrative staff in relation to academic staff. Explanations are offered for the decrease in maintenance, service, and auxiliary research and teaching personnel. New skills that are required in these areas and relations between administrative and…

Recounts a week-long environmental program that revolved around staff dressing up as Alpha Centaurions to point out pollution on Earth. Activities were chosen to teach students about ways in which our environment is being ruined and students were encouraged to look for solutions. Activities included zoo visits, ecological study of Brockhill Valley…