Water, water everywhere--managing and conserving water resources is a major factor at campuses worldwide. Doing so is a challenge, since water is one of the most-used and ubiquitous resources in any environment. Water is often taken for granted and not measured by the people who use it the most, yet it might have the greatest potential for helping…

"Higher education is at a crossroads," Kelly Baxley declared as he introduced the plenary session at the APPA 2013 conference in Minneapolis last August. "The sector urgently needs to innovate because becoming a savvy user of technology is now a requirement, regardless of industry or career path. The vast proliferation of mobile…

Recent research reveals that janitorial services account for nearly 30 percent of facility budgets, which translates into billions of dollars annually. With janitorial services consuming such a large share of budgets, other industry findings are alarming. Most cleaning systems: 1) have no quantifiable standards; 2) are based solely on appearance;…

While many issues in higher education are only discussed among members of the education community, the sharp rise in costs is no longer a topic solely for academia. Parents and politicians alike are fuming over the apparently unstoppable climb of the cost of a college education. It seems every day a new magazine article or newspaper story bemoans…

APPA's Effective & Innovative Practices Award continues to highlight the best of the most creative and practical programs and processes that enhance and transform service delivery, lower costs, increase productivity, improve customer service, generate revenue, or otherwise benefit an educational institution. This article features five 2010…

APPA's Effective & Innovative Practices Award continues to highlight the best of the most creative and practical programs and processes that enhance and transform service delivery, lower costs, increase productivity, improve customer service, generate revenue, or otherwise benefit an educational institution. This article features five 2011…

APPA's Effective & Innovative Practices Award continues to highlight an ever-growing list of creative and practical programs and processes that enhance and transform service delivery, lower costs, increase productivity, improve customer service, generate revenue, or otherwise benefit an educational institution. The five 2009 award-winning…

College and university campuses may be safer environments than the "real world" around them, but recent years have made it clear that they are not immune to frightening and dangerous events, either natural or manmade. Today's campuses and their facilities professionals have to be prepared to respond to crises caused by both nature (think of…