Registrar's offices used to be--and in some cases still are--physical manifestations of organizational charts: upper management resides in one cloistered area, occasionally behind a locked door, connected to the rest of the staff by multiple degrees of separation. During the summer of 2013, Elon University agreed to remodel the Office of the…

This paper is a description and analysis of the history of the renovation of Memorial Stadium and the building of the Barclay Simpson Student Athlete High Performance Center (SAHPC) on the Berkeley campus, showing how incremental changes over time result in a much riskier and financially less viable project than originally anticipated. It…

Colleges and universities are finding innovative ways to cut electrical costs while maintaining the needed light and power to fulfill their educational missions. Farsighted planning of energy use is increasing, due in part to government and corporate leadership and support and to the changing vision of college administrators. (Author/MSE)

Boston University converts a run-down turn-of-the-century printing plant into an attractive administration building. (Author)

A university's financing choices cover many shades of gray. Some off-balance-sheet financing uses no debt capacity, while others represent or imply full financial commitment. Many others fall in between. The choices made by a number of institutions in financing facility expansions or improvements are discussed, and the Moody's Investors Service…

Brief descriptions of 47 college programs recognized for awards in the National Association of College and University Officers/U. S. Steel Foundation Cost Reduction Incentive Awards Program are given. They include awards for: shower stall repair; chemical waste exchange; vibrating alarms for hearing-imparied; self-funding insurance consortium;…

Suggested guidelines for energy saving on campus include a 3-phase plan: (1) Quick Fix--effective management of what you already have; (2) Refitting--modification of existing systems and installation of simple controls; (3) Systems Convert--installation of computerized controls, waste-heat recovery, solid-waste recovery utilization and other…

The Tax Reform Act of 1984 has sharply limited the tax advantages for private investors to enter into real estate sales/leaseback agreements with exempt organizations. The impact the Tax Reform Act of 1984 has on sales/leaseback agreements involving tax-exempt organizations is examined. (Author/MLW)

It is noted that federal deregulation of the electrical utility industry will allow colleges and universities to buy electrical services from suppliers who provide the best reliability and cost combination. Considerations are examined for the following options: purchasing an existing electrical substation, building a new substation, using on-site…

Colleges and universities historically have ignored the capital costs associated with institutional administration in their estimates of overall and per-student costs. This neglect leads to distortion of data, misunderstandings, and uninformed decision making. The real costs should be recognized in institutional accounting. (MSE)

Higher education leaders have always considered the physical plant as an asset but may have little understanding of its dimensions as a liability, particularly higher debt service requirements for facility improvement or replacement. Strategic planning will be increasingly important in addressing campus facilities needs. (MSE)

Ohio State University developed a formula to calculate the annual and renovation budget necessary to maintain campus facilities. The calculations can indicate whether an institution is gaining or losing ground in facilities upkeep. Many institutions need to nearly double past efforts to retain physical plant quality and maintain facility…

The Peabody Institute of Baltimore (Maryland), the Johns Hopkins University's music school, addressed its financial problems by converting four campus buildings into an inn used to house Elderhostel participants. Annual program revenues cover all costs and yield a financial reserve for the school. (MSE)

It is recommended that colleges and universities considering building renovation or new construction first conduct a feasibility study to uncover existing conditions, avoid potential problems, explore design options, and determine comparative costs. A seven-step process for such a study is outlined. (MSE)