Colleges around the country are relying on increasingly sophisticated systems to keep buildings and equipment humming—such as giving maintenence staff members smart phones that let them log jobs as they walk around campus. The reason, says James P. Whittaker, president of a Virginia-based consulting firm called Facilities Engineering Associates, is simple: In an era of tight budgets, colleges can no longer sit back and react to maintenance issues. They need to predict problems and spend money more efficiently. And to do that, they need the information that the new maintenance systems can provide.
There is another reason, says Lee Prevost, president of SchoolDude.com, which offers Web-based maintenance management systems: “Colleges are really starting to associate student retention and student attraction with well-managed and well-maintained facilities.” (The Chronicle, subscription required)
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