Solving Tough Challenges in Higher Education

One manager’s insights on tackling issues related to department staffing and deferred maintenance   September 11, 2023


By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor


What are the toughest challenges facing maintenance and engineering directors in higher education facilities? While all types of institutional and commercial facilities present directors with an array of pressing and evolving maintenance challenges related to the condition and performance of building materials, equipment and technology, the challenges often are especially critical in higher education facilities. 

Why? The facilities have a unique combination of activities and goals that directors must prioritize and address. The appearance and performance of these facilities are essential in recruiting staff and students to their organizations, they house a range of complex activities such as research and development, and they include the added complexity of serving as residences for students. 

In this video, viewers will hear about maintenance and operations challenges in higher education from Anthony Harvey, who is associate director of facilities maintenance at Clemson University. Harvey discusses the most pressing challenges he faces in ensuring that the university facilities he oversees operate safely, energy efficiently and reliably.

Here is what you will learn from this video: 

  • The most pressing facilities maintenance and operations challenges for the facilities department at Clemson University, including staffing and deferred maintenance 
  • Changes in these challenges that are prompting the department to rethink and update its approaches to solving them. 

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Dan Hounsell is senior editor of the facilities market. He has more than 25 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management. 

 

 

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