Explores the use of performance contracting as a means to fund building improvements and equipment upgrades. Information is provided on contractor selection, paying for capital improvements, and researching performance contracting before using it. Ten tips for efficient building operation are highlighted. (GR)

Many school districts and education institutions are making green facilities a greater priority. Green buildings, also called sustainable or high-performance buildings, can provide many advantages for schools and the people who use them. They cost less to operate, last longer and provide a better learning environment. Constructing sustainable…

This discussion paper identifies how the New England Facility could be established to offer service for the blind and physically handicapped. Following a premise which outlines typical library services, the New England Facility is described in terms of its approach to service; facility size (total square footage); staffing needs and…

The 1985-1986 operating fund requirements for Ontario higher education institutions are examined. After reviewing the Ontario government's funding record for higher education, statistical tables are presented, including the following: interprovincial comparisons of university financing; Ontario Universities' share of provincial budgetary…

Factors that affect the implementation of professional allied health education programs were studied at 64 four-year black colleges and universities that had no such programs before 1975-76. By 1980, six of the institutions had implemented these programs. Twenty-seven operating ratios and seven institutional characteristics were analyzed, based on…

The forces behind Stanford University's cost and price increases are outlined, and the problematic 2 percent difference between income and expenditures that must be resolved each year is discussed. (MSE)

Colleges and universities have special budgetary needs and problems and while their business support systems can benefit from many cost-saving measures, their core operations--teaching and research--cannot. Colleges are labor-intensive, must stay abreast of knowledge, must adjust to inflation and have been increasing student aid. (MLW)

The Ukiah (California) school board offers extended day care in six elementary schools. The program meets the needs of employed parents and has helped maintain enrollment levels in the schools. Highlights from a parent handbook are listed along with ordering directions. (MLF)

Discusses advantages of a building automation system (BAS) used for monitoring and controlling 16 buildings (1,000,000 square feet). Problems solved and savings occurred with air handlers, indoor pool, minerals in boilers, and service tunnels. The system included numerous advantages for operators and paid for itself in 15 months. (DH)

The American Institute of Physics is cited as example of a professional society as publisher, noting 1982 budget, educational services activities, 1982 journal publishing expenses, and income from subscriptions to six archival journals. Computer photocomposition, electronic publishing and document delivery, telecommunications networks, and…

The issue of whether institutions of higher education should cost account space and physical plant operating and maintenance expenses to their academic programs is examined. Space costing is cited as a philosophical base for cost accounting space, operating, and maintenance expenses to the individual academic unit of an institution. (Author/MLW)

Better managerial control in terms of decision making and understanding the costs of a system/service result from allocating indirect costs. Allocation requires a three-step process: selecting cost objectives, pooling related overhead costs, and selecting costs bases to connect the objectives to the pooled costs. Argues that activity-based costing…

Data on research library (university and nonuniversity) holdings in the United States and Canada for 1991-92 are presented in tabular form and include numbers of volumes in the library, volumes added, current serials, and permanent staff, and total expenditures in U.S. dollars. University libraries are ranked. Overall distribution of operating…

A discussion of the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) policies concerning computation of indirect costs on federally funded research projects at universities focuses on recent policy changes. Significant revisions are examined, future points of scrutiny are noted, and ongoing initiatives are described. Three options for indirect cost…

Questions and answers by the Association of American Universities address some issues in the complex matter of indirect costs for research projects, including the different kinds of costs, federal treatment of them, the federal indirect cost system, cost allocation, the memorandum of understanding, variation among institutions' costs, and cost…