This article is on the development of the School Facility I.Q. Inventory (SFIQI), an instrument to assess the extent of knowledge a school administrator possesses in delivering their assignment to manage his/her school building. The instrument was designed based on the current literature. The validity of the instrument was verified by a panel of…

The 2018 Thought Leaders report focuses on "The Landscape, Framework, and Strategies for Managing & Mitigating Risk." The report looks at enterprise risk management (ERM) from both a campus-wide perspective as well as how risks affect the facilities organization in its support of the institution. In assessing all types of risks to…

Since 1996, APPA and CSHEMA, the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association, have collaborated to produce guidance documents to help educational facilities get ahead of the moving target that is environmental compliance. This new 2017 edition will help you identify which regulations pertain to your institution, and assist in…

When focusing on public restroom sanitation, a facility manager needs to take into account several key factors. The No. 1 priority should be the safety of the people using the restrooms every day. Education institutions should make sure they are using chemicals that are not only effective, but also environmentally friendly; they should provide…

On June 12, 2008, the local creek had flooded one-fifth of the city in Cedar Rapids. When schools buildings are flooded and the systems are in jeopardy, one has to act fast and learn from his/her mistakes. In this article, the author recounts his experience after the disaster in Cedar Rapids and shares what he learned from the disaster.

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) may not be the only aspect of a green school, but it is one of the most significant. Advanced environmental instrumentation technology now provides school business officials with tools to measure the factors that contribute to their schools' IEQ. These new devices make it possible to identify the toxic or…

The restroom, and what goes on in there, are subjects that cause many people discomfort or embarrassment. However, washrooms do not always receive the attention they require. Their design may be an afterthought. Cleaning and maintenance schedules may not be sufficient to get rid of grime and unpleasant odors. In schools, where hundreds of students…

In a study conducted among more than 980 American four-year and two-year colleges and universities, including institutions such as the University of Michigan, MIT, UCLA and Columbia, security staff and other administrators identified the five leading goals for their security systems: (1) Preventing unauthorized people from entering their…

Though research into academic library director leadership has established leadership skills and qualities required for success, little research has been done to establish where in their career library directors were most likely to acquire those skills and qualities. This research project surveyed academic library directors at Carnegie-designated…

The May/June 2009 issue of "Facilities Manager" introduced APPA readers to the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG)--today's most comprehensive Internet-based depository of resources contributing to a systems approach for everything of a building nature. The emphasis in that article was on Operations and Maintenance (O&M) issues and procedures. In…

From natural disasters to criminal violence, facilities officers are often called on to address campus safety and security issues beyond their usual responsibilities. Their experiences in coping with unanticipated events have produced a catalogue of lessons learned that can help them and their peers at other institutions who might face the same…

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…

Schools and universities looking to be safer and prevent accidents should review their pedestrian-safety efforts. Over the last several years, a variety of research has assessed the effectiveness of pedestrian-safety programs. In one study, researchers found that marked crosswalks had no effect on reducing pedestrian accidents. Even more…

Examines safety and environmental compliance issues surrounding higher education facilities management. Using performance standards is argued to be the best approach to staying in compliance, and advice is given on how to effectively use this approach. (GR)

Explores reasons for the decline in the number of fires in college and university residence halls and describes a four-pronged program called PODS (Prevention, Occupant awareness, Detection, and Suppression) to help administrators organize fire-prevention efforts. (EV)