In March 2023, APPA brought together thought leaders who are truly rethinking how to use campus space or integrate technology into space to increase efficiency and maximize how employees work. From a holistic perspective, our observations included the following:
- While space may be available because of flexible work options, leaders are reticent to give up any space for fear that they will lose it for good and of what will happen if the world reverts to only face-to-face options.
- Physical infrastructure is growing at an accelerated rate and will be more challenging to maintain if we don’t carefully adhere to plans that reinvest in campus facilities renewal.
- Building and classroom space is not limited. It just is not managed properly.
- Adding adaptive technologies is critical to furthering efforts to better manage space.
- If we trust our employees to do good work and give them the technology to improve their work, 99% of them will do just that.
- We must work in partnership with the academic and student life areas to creatively think about how to make spaces more welcoming so that students feel a sense of belonging to the campus.
The following articles dig deeper into our topics with the aim of giving you strategies to help further your institution’s efforts.
- The Space Entanglement, by Joe Bilotta, FAUA
- Mobile Technologies and Michigan State University’s Institutional Journey, by Daniel Bollman, CEFP, and Adam S. Lawver, CEFP
- A Design Framework for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Kentucky, by Mary S. Vosevich, Mary Anne Ocampo, and Robert S. Locke, LEED AP
In addition, Andy Brantley, president and CEO of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, presented important findings on workforce perspectives and higher education employee retention through a comprehensive survey:
- CUPA-HR 2022 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey
- CUPA-HR 2022 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey: Focus on Supervisors
Jim Hundrieser is vice president for consulting and business development with the National Association of College and University Business Officers, Washington, DC. He is an at-large member of the APPA Board of Directors and can be reached at [email protected]. Angela Meyer is director of facilities management at Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO. She is the CAPPA Regional Director to the APPA Board and can be reached at [email protected]. Both provided oversight to the development of the March 2023 Targeted Technical Topics program, Space & All Its Entanglements, held on the campus of the University of North Carolina Charlotte. This is Meyer’s first article for Facilities Manager.
