Facilities/Real Estate

February 16, 2021 - Talk about a need for flexibility. American colleges and universities, after months of contemplating how to respond to the pandemic in real time, are now mulling a future in which Covid-19 may finally be under control. Assuming the national vaccination campaign …

October 22, 2020 - For colleges and universities that own and/or lease real estate, best practices from the commercial sector can cut costs and ramp up liquidity, thereby supporting critically important adaptive strategies in the wake of COVID-19...

September 22, 2020 - Trustees have the task of securing the future for their institution. With a focus on the big picture, trustees must understand how events like the COVID-19 pandemic, technological innovation, and other …

December 03, 2019 - Through public private partnerships, institutions such as Wayne State University can now leverage real estate and retail opportunities to fulfill their missions as premier academic institutions while improving on-campus student experiences. A $307 million project at Wayne State University completed in …

Federal laws prohibit disability discrimination and entitle people with disabilities to “full and equal enjoyment” of services, facilities, and accommodations. As digital tools and resources have become essential to education, access to electronic information technology (EIT) has become a critical …

What is a university to do when federal and state authorities expect it to comply with contradictory laws? The latest incarnation of this question concerns a matter most governing boards never expected to consider–bathrooms. A brief chronology. While other states have …

Every time over the last several years that I’ve been asked to vote to approve the renovation or construction of a new building, I wonder: Will this facility be necessary 15 years from now? Given that the delivery method for …

Facilities committees help shape the physical character of their institutions by ensuring that their campuses are functional, attractive, and well-maintained. Committee members tackle the challenging work of helping to update the campus master plan and developing harmonious relationships between buildings, …

Dormitories, student centers, lecture halls, laboratories, athletic facilities, quads—just try to imagine your residential campus without them. Impossible. They are among its most important assets. As fiduciaries, boards must ensure that those assets are protected and enhanced over time. But …