Guide to EAB’s Facilities Research Presentations

In partnership with Strategic Leaders, EAB’s Research Advisory Services experts work actively with partners to find best practices that suit your institution, and to help you make sound decisions that attract institutional support. We can bring our research to your team, for a single focused session or multiple sessions adapted to different audiences.

The Facilities Forum offers presentations for diverse audiences, including Facilities leadership, business affairs leadership, academic leadership, maintenance and operations directors, and planning, design, and construction leaders.

If you are interested in having EAB experts present to a group on your campus or facilitate a discussion, we recommend reaching out to your Strategic Leader at least a month or two before a virtual session. For some especially popular times of year (e.g., the start of the semester, around spring and fall board retreats) we recommend reaching out three months in advance, or as early as you can.

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Presentations on construction and maintenance challenges

Increasing the impact of limited deferred and preventive maintenance dollars

Shifting the Balance from Reactive to Preventive Maintenance and Addressing Increasingly Complex Deferred Maintenance Decisions

Presentation Overview

Tactics to communicate true deferred maintenance needs to stakeholders, as well as creative funding strategies
Best practices to eliminate preventive maintenance (PM) time sinks and effectively utilize asset data
Staffing options and engagement methods to ensure systematic completion of PM tasks

Suggested Audience: Facilities Leadership, Maintenance and Operations Directors, Business Affairs Leadership, Frontline and Shop Supervisors
Presentation Length: 2 to 3 hours

Building a total cost of ownership mindset

Pre- and Post-Occupancy Tactics to Optimize Capital Investments and Minimize Operating Costs

Presentation Overview

Evidence-based design standards that ease future maintenance work and minimize total cost of ownership
Best practices to help academic and administrative leaders understand the total cost of ownership and the long-term tradeoffs of renovating versus building new
No-regret analyses to better approximate the total cost of ownership and improve planning and communication efforts

Suggested Audience: Facilities Leadership, Capital Planning Leadership, Business Affairs Leadership
Presentation Length: 2 to 3 hours

Presentations on campus spaces

Working with academic leaders to improve space utilization

Best Practices for Inflecting Behavior Change and Improving Utilization Rates

Presentation Overview

Guidance on establishing effective space governance committees
Incentives, policy changes, and other strategies for partnering with academic leaders to increase productive use of classrooms, faculty offices, and research labs

Suggested Audience: Facilities Leadership, Academic Leadership
Presentation Length: 1.5 to 2 hours

Presentations on Facilities staffing and org structure challenges

Tackling the Facilities talent crunch

Tactics to Address Staffing Needs in an Era of Widening Skills Gaps and Shrinking Labor Pools

Presentation Overview

Enhanced recruitment and grow-your-own strategies for skilled trades roles
Best practices for engaging and retaining frontline service staff
New opportunities for preparing and training supervisors

Suggested Audience: Facilities Leadership, Operations and Maintenance Directors, HR Partners
Presentation Length: 2 to 3 hours