Workplace Demographics and Technology: Challenges and Opportunities to the Campus Mission Including the Top Facilities Issues. APPA Thought Leaders 2011
Author: APPA: Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Conferences (Gatherings),Strategic Planning,Higher Education,Safety,Change Agents,Public Support,College Environment,Educational Trends,College Administration,Educational Finance,Communication Strategies,Leadership,Global Approach,Sustainability,Compliance (Legal),Sustainable Development,Influence of Technology,Administrator Role,Professional Associations,Educational Policy,Educational Facilities,Educational Facilities Planning,Demography

It is not unusual in higher education circles to talk about issues affecting the campus. Experts might write about how shifting demographics are changing the campus, or say technology is becoming more pervasive on campus. The campus itself evolves alongside pedagogical practices, technological innovations, student needs, and the mission of the institution. The purpose of APPA&apos;s Thought Leaders Series is to assess how higher education trends will shape the campus. Its starting point every year is that both senior facilities officers and leaders across the campus need to understand significant trends and their predicted impact on classrooms, laboratories, residence halls, energy systems, building management processes, and all of the other myriad places and operations that constitute the campus. Along with a discussion of the issues, the series also posits strategies that college and university leaders can use to address coming challenges. The goal is to help institutions prepare themselves and their facilities for the future. Two major issues facing higher education identified in the 2011 Thought Leaders report are changes in the demographics of the campus workforce and the ever-evolving role of technology in higher education. Drawing on the discussion of workforce demographics and technology, this Thought Leaders report provides a list of the top ten critical higher education facilities issues of 2011, along with key strategies to address these issues. The issues are: (1) Establishing a culture of innovation and collaboration; (2) Improving productivity with level or decreasing resources; (3) Leveraging technology to improve decision making; (4) Alignment of IT and facilities; (5) Creating a new budget model for IT and facilities; (6) Confronting shifting workforce demographics; (7) Increasing the flexibility of the workplace; (8) Making smart decisions about outsourcing; (9) Improving emergency preparedness; and (10) Managing the existing built environment. At a two-day symposium, presidents, chancellors, and higher education experts (both in facilities management and technology and in operations from finance to administration to human resources) met to analyze issues, discuss the effect of these issues on the built environment, and propose strategies for the future. The yearly Thought Leaders Report summarizes the discussions at the symposium and provides additional context about major trends. The purpose of the report is both to inform and to prompt discussion. Campus senior facilities officers use this report as a resource both within their own academic departments and with their counterparts in administration. Appendices include: (1) References and Resources; and (2) Participants in the 2011 Thought Leaders Symposium. [Sponsorship assistance was provided by UGL Services, and Jacobs. To review &quot;Assessing and Forecasting Facilities in Higher Education Including the Top Facilities Issues. APPA Thought Leaders Series, 2010&quot;, see ED517059.]