Case Studies College and University

When college students at Vancouver Island University have an issue in their room, say a flickering light or broken heater, they submit a maintenance request to the facilities department. While not all work can be completed immediately, students are typically satisfied if the problem is fixed in a few days, Burke Gulbranson says. However, if […]

Like so many places, the wellness center at the Medical University of South Carolina shut its doors in March 2020. Unlike other buildings, though, this one was converted by the MUSC hospital in just two weeks into a field hospital—300 cots replacing exercise equipment. As James Tomsic recalls, the university’s hospital had seen the state […]

The most successful major college athletic programs use more than just national championships in football and men’s basketball to measure greatness. “We really think that great athletic departments are coach driven, student-athlete centered and administration assisted,” Jamie Breslin says. “We work to live by that every day with the work we do as a team.” […]

The accident occurred early in the morning on a quiet, rural road in southern Florida, leaving the driver with broken bones and possible internal injuries. EMTs arrived quickly and stabilized the driver before heading for the heart of Miami’s Health District on what quickly became a rough ambulance ride on a narrow and bumpy road. […]

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, students at the University of South Florida could put in a maintenance request and someone would show up to fix the issue. Because of safety protocols during the height of the pandemic in 2020, it wasn’t so simple. When students put in a request, say for a flickering light or […]

As so many students can attest, deadlines can be the difference between passing and failing. So you’re late in submitting a term paper? Your instructor isn’t likely to accept excuses. The stakes are even higher for Phillip Cunningham. As director of facilities management and campus safety at Stillman College, he’s under pressure each summer to […]

Many college alumni centers sit quiet and underused most of the year, only seeing large groups during reunions or special events. Nicole Sweeney has worked hard to ensure this wouldn’t happen at the University of British Columbia. Since the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre opened in 2015, she’s been happy to see it consistently filled […]

In 2013, when students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said they needed better recreation centers and a plan to improve the overall health and wellbeing of campus, administrators knew they were right. The two centers on campus were decades old and hadn’t been upgraded in years. In addition to being small and not having expected […]

On a crisp October day in 2018, Jennifer Gonsalves walked through Yale campus, the civil engineer in her appreciating century-old Gothic and neo-Georgian architecture. When she reached 222 York Street, Yale’s main theater, her gaze—like that of so many drama students—swept up the stone façade. Gonsalves continued her walk past the other eight buildings on […]

Ask anyone who attended a large state university what their favorite part of college was, and you’ll get a variety of answers. From getting an education that hopefully leads to a successful career and making lifelong friends to going to football and basketball games and parties, the college experience is vast. At Florida State University, […]