This article addresses two of the most repeated questions in APPA (1) How can we convert our reactive maintenance operations to a planned and predictable operation? and (2) In addition, how can we do this with little or no additional resources? It seems reasonable to assume that if a department is short on resources and in a full-blown reactive…

This paper identifies approaches, challenges, and best practices related to planning and designing today's academic library learning spaces. As part of the Project Information Literacy (PIL) Practitioner Series, qualitative data is presented from 49 interviews conducted with a sample of academic librarians, architects, and library consultants.…

With an emphasis on planning and cutting costs to make better use of resources, facilities managers at community colleges across the nation have undertaken facilities audits usually with the help of outside engineers. Such assessments analyze the history and structural integrity of buildings and core components on campus, including heating…

Certain widely tested educational practices have been shown to have a significantly beneficial impact on student learning and success in college. These "high-impact practices" include first-year experiences, common intellectual experiences, learning communities, writing-intensive courses, collaborative assignments and projects,…

When considering a new school construction project, the site selection and evaluation process is a critical step in early planning. Selecting the right site is paramount to the project and can have a major impact on the outcome of a referendum. Careful consideration and thoughtful attention to site-related issues and details can set the course not…

The Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM), University of Pennsylvania, was built in 1965 as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency's (ARPA) Interdisciplinary Laboratories (IDL) program intended to foster interdisciplinary research and training in materials science. The process that led to the construction of the…

The 2016 Thought Leaders symposium, supported in part by long-time sponsor Jacobs, focused on "Remaking the Facilities Organization." The report makes the case for a customer-centric higher education facilities organization. Experts provide their insights on how a focus on the customer provides a framework for driving change. The…

This report provides nationally representative data on the condition of public school facilities. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) previously collected data on this topic in 1999 (Lewis et al. 2000). The study presented in this report collected information about the condition of public school facilities in the 2012-13 school…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the use of integrated campus sustainability plans at US institutions of higher education. The paper also offers a preliminary framework for the evaluation of these plans. Design/methodology/approach: The paper examines 27 campus sustainability plans. It determines the types and…

Evaluations of Public-Private Partnership arrangements as alternatives to traditional government procurement methods for the delivery of public infrastructure projects have been anecdotal at best. This paper proposes a framework to evaluate a public university's infrastructure asset management performance and a specific measure based on a new…

Participatory Action Research employs social sciences research methods to develop actionable local knowledge. In seeking meaningful and inclusive ways of generating knowledge together in the workplace, Participatory Action Research practitioner-researchers combine action and reflection with theory and practice to improve local situations and…

This annual report examines information on school construction completed and underway during 2014 and planned to start in 2015. Among the findings of this report: (1) school districts in the United States spent more than $14 billion ($14,123,865,000) on construction projects completed during the 2014 calendar year; (2) most of the construction…

Not long ago universities, colleges, and schools identified the management of facilities as the Physical Plant Office. Albeit, the services provided by the physical plant office included complex and highly technical functions, they were mainly focused on keeping building systems operating and the campus looking good. As important as these…

The Red Lake Band of Chippewa are investing in education and future generations with a new tribal college campus. The new Red Lake Nation College (RLNC) campus in northern Minnesota will greatly improve not only the college's physical appearance, but will also elevate the community's sense of pride and self-esteem. The impact of the new campus…

When new learning environments are built, numerous variables are taken into consideration. For example, school systems consider the instructional needs of the students they serve, enrollment, and whether to replace or remodel an old building. The concept of "going green" encourages school system planners to consider the natural…