Higher Ed at a Crossroads
Building the Future-Ready (and Energy-Smart) Campus
Walk around any college or university these days and you’ll quickly sense it: campuses are buzzing with big questions, anxious optimism, and a new urgency to do things differently. Higher education is facing stormy weather from all sides—shaky enrollments, tight finances, deferred maintenance headaches, and a growing expectation from students (and their families) that campus life will be as smart, sustainable, and comfortable as the world outside. Welcome to the crossroads.
After spending time at this year’s NACUBO Annual Meeting and digging into the very latest industry reports (the ones the presidents and CFOs really read), one thing is clear: “business as usual” is officially over. The universities—and their partners—who will win the next decade are those ready to think strategically, act with data, and squeeze every drop of value out of every square foot and every BTU. Spoiler alert, this is where we come in.
The Pressure Cooker: How Today’s Higher Ed Market Really Feels
If the last few years have felt like a roller coaster for campus leaders, you’re not alone. COVID slammed the brakes, then interest rates, supply chain chaos, and rising construction and operating costs made the path forward murkier than ever. The 2024 State of the Industry Report from Brailsford & Dunlavey paints a picture of a sector in flux: more projects are coming over the finish line now than in the bleakest parts of the pandemic, but average transaction sizes are down, and the easy-money days are gone.
There’s also a widening gap between “have” and “have-not” institutions, and a creeping anxiety about how smaller schools can keep up—or even get developer attention for new facilities. Meanwhile, the next big enrollment cliff looms, making it even more critical that every dollar spent actually attracts, retains, and delights students.
What Are Campus Leaders Talking About? Four Big Shifts
Here’s what we heard, loud and clear, at NACUBO 2025, and what’s shaping how the smartest institutions are rethinking their futures:
1. Every Campus Dollar Needs to Work Smarter
Forget about firefighting with the annual budget. Today, with about 70% of a building’s lifetime costs living in operations and maintenance, universities are demanding real, ongoing savings and performance—year after year. Our team specializes in plugging intelligence and AI-powered analytics right into your existing systems, so optimization isn’t a “wish list” item; it’s baked into your financial plans.
Forget about firefighting with the annual budget. Today, with about 70% of a building’s lifetime costs living in operations and maintenance, universities are demanding real and ongoing efficiency, savings, and performance. Our team specializes in deploying intelligence and AI-powered analytics right into your existing systems and partnering with you to turn the data into action. Efficiency of your operations teams and systems isn’t a “wish list” item; it’s a guaranteed outcome.
2. Deferred Maintenance Is No Longer Invisible
Campus leaders are fed up with surprises—whether it’s critical infrastructure failing mid-semester or volatile energy bills compounding budget woes. Proactive and predictable is the expectation. We deliver campus upgrades that create certainty both financially and technically. Operationally focused planning, funding and implementing campus wide infrastructure projects sets us apart.
3. Tear Down the Silos—Unify Data, Unify Strategy
Enrollment, housing, operations, energy…these are all just pieces of the same student experience puzzle. Trying to optimize each one in a vacuum is yesterday’s problem. The winning approach? Connect the dots—our platforms bring together live data on enrollment, occupancy, utilities, and asset health to help you make smarter decisions campus-wide.
4. Partner Up—but Read the Fine Print
Lots of institutions are eyeing public-private partnerships (P3s) for new energy systems, student housing, you name it. These partnerships can be powerful—but only when everyone’s incentives align for the long haul. Forget the quick wins; we help universities look at the big picture, measuring outcomes for years (not just upfront financial relief).
The “Secret Sauce”: What Innovative Campuses Are Now Doing
Think of facilities and energy management as quiet heroes on your campus. When it works, students stay comfortable, healthy, and engaged. When it doesn’t, you hear about it—sometimes in the form of lost enrollment. When we partner with you to plan, fund, and deliver infrastructure and deferred maintenance projects, we create long-term certainty and savings in your operational budget—unlocking more resources to enrich student life, fuel academic innovation, and strengthen retention.
Facing the Future—Together
The bottom line? Higher ed is being forced to reboot how it thinks about its physical footprint and every resource invested in campus life. Those who integrate operations, strategy, finance, and technology will stand out in a fiercely competitive market where every potential student has choices. Whether you’re a flagship public university, an ambitious regional, or a tuition-dependent private, your path to resilience starts with using what you have—smarter.
Curious to learn more?
We are always eager to share success stories, explore new ideas, and help your campus unlock its next chapter of impact. The crossroads is here—let’s take the smarter path, together. Let’s build a future where your facilities, your finances, and your student experience all work in harmony.
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