Samford University—a private, faith-based institution in Birmingham, Alabama—offers more than 30 health-related degrees through its College of Health Sciences and expects to add 5,000 students there by 2020. To manage that demand—and keep quality metrics high—Dr. Nena Sanders, vice provost of the College of Health Sciences, charged her assistant dean of enrollment management and student […]
Do today’s employee benefit packages resemble those that colleges and universities offered in the past? Hardly. Wellness benefits have transformed into all kinds of unique offerings, ranging from on-site vegetable gardens to fitness centers. Meanwhile, traditional “do-everything-for-me” benefits have disappeared. Schools now expect employees to take action, change behaviors and make decisions that positively impact […]
One of the primary justifications universities use for sponsoring football programs is that they serve as the “front porch” of the institution. Given the popularity and intense media coverage of the games, players and coaches, it is hard to argue the point. For many institutions, football is the largest and clearest window through which the […]
Academia’s cyber preparedness (or lack thereof) has received less media attention than that of certain retailers and financial institutions, but nonetheless the cyber risks confronting universities are pervasive and alarming. Consider recent breaches suffered by educational institutions. At the University of Maryland, an outside source gained access to a secure records database that held information […]
With YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets, virtually nothing escapes the pubic's notice, and judgment. It's one reason higher education is paying much more attention to risk management now than in the past. There are also more risk-generating contingencies, such as mass shootings, and accountability standards, such as for the prevention of sexual […]
Outside the circle of higher ed facilities managers, it’s the shiny new campus buildings that get all the glory. Yet what facilities insiders know all too well is that existing buildings are in dire need of attention. Aging buildings, a recent economic downturn and pressure to invest in new construction has led to rising deferred […]
Despite the economic and demographic factors that indicate challenging times ahead for higher ed, campuses across the country are busy building, according to a survey of college and university leaders by UB. The survey took a look at the inspiration behind campus construction efforts and the overall institutional impact of the projects. With student enrollment […]
More diverse student populations demand more of the health and wellness services offered on campus today. Colleges and universities must meet the unique needs of veterans, and students who are international, older, recovering from addictions, or who have physical or mental disabilities. Many schools are meeting this challenge by combining physical and mental health services […]
In many ways, 2015 will look a lot like 2014 with respect to facilities. But there are trends impacting the creation and use of physical space on virtually every college and university campus. Institutions will be curbing new construction activity, getting creative about funding, paying more attention to overdue maintenance, and planning more for mixed-use […]
The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) has launched a proactive approach to three pressing issues facing students, and they’re ready to share their strategy. When one exceptional LECOM student was lost too soon due to a cancer diagnosis, administrators recognized that there was a set of needs their students have that were not […]
