Issue link: http://digital.corporatepress.com/i/133387
executive summary Why Space? Why Now? By E. Lander Medlin H igher education has proven to be a key factor in spurring innovation and sparking our global competitiveness. Higher education is critical to fueling a country's economic engine. That most assuredly will not happen if we don't find solutions to the three big interrelated problems of cost, access, and quality—the "iron triangle." With student loan debt approaching a trillion dollars, the cost of a degree up 115 percent since 1990, fewer students graduating from a four-year institution in six years, and employers in need of college-educated workers, these problems are real, yet remain vexing. However, they deserve our best efforts. WHY SPACE, WHY NOW? No other issue has such potential to transform an institution's costs than that of the policies related to effective space management and utilization. Herman A. Berliner, provost of Hofstra University, said, "As all of us look for economies that will not adversely impact the quality of education, efficient utilization of space should not be left out of the discussion." Especially since the average space utilization rate is 40 to 50 percent; buildings operated 24/7 "just in case"; classrooms vacant on Fridays and most evenings; and office/lab allocations left unreviewed for decades. Frankly, we know that effective space management can positively impact an institution financially, its productivity and sustainability. Keeping in mind, the most sustainable building is the one NEVER built! Most of the issues and challenges confronting higher education today have ramifications for space and cannot and should not be ignored. We do so at our own peril. Recognize that colleges and universities are intensely focused on the allocation of their endowment portfolios—for good reason. However, we need to be just as focused on the allocation of our space portfolios. In fact, the current replacement value (CRV) of our institutions' buildings and utility infrastructure is two to three times that of our collective endowment investments! Therefore, the attitude needs to be: representing a vast long-term investment; – without which higher education could not operate (even with MOOCs); – a tool to accomplish the institution's goals. The benefits are numerous: Increased productivity and efficiency Improved student services Reduced costs Greater equity Improved sustainability CONFLICT ON CAMPUS Campus space is an asset and a burden; a value and a cost; quantitative in terms of dollars and qualitative in terms of its intrinsic sense of place for those who engage in it. Yet, few institutional battles can be as intense as those regarding space. Faculty and staff will argue over money; they will fight, tooth and nail, over space. Despite this potential for conflict on campus, higher education leaders must recognize the value and cost of their space and take steps to better manage it. The beliefs, issues, and attitudes on the part of faculty, staff, and campus administrators can be a barrier, a real deterrent in preventing effective space management on many college and university campuses: Both new construction (up 67 percent since 1997) Facilities Manager | may/june 2013 | 9