Project Idea:

No. 4: Comprehensive University Space Inventory Process

AQIP Component to which this primarily relates:

Supporting Institutional Operations

Briefly describe what you would like this project to accomplish:

The University has approximately ten sources or databases of space information. There is no single source of total University space information that is fully correct and current.  This proposal would give us the logical workflow for concurrent changes to space and equipment. 

Where did the idea stimulus from this Action Project originate?

 A-21 Federal overhead space study and planning problems with recent building projects.

Which specific needs of your students or other external stakeholders would be better met if you accomplished this project?  How?

Federal compliance: A-21F&A rate –  The overhead rate we charge on our sponsored research contracts is based on accurate space information.  We endeavor to be as accurate and transparent with our federal reporting as possible. 

Federal compliance: Gramm Leach Bliley Act – We would be able to identify vacant space, if any, across the university that would be safe and secure so that our employee and student records would not be susceptible to identity theft.

External Benchmark Surveys – As a public higher education institution, MTU responds annually to many significant survey tools:  US News and World Report surveys, The NSF/NIH Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities,  Princeton Review Survey, Educause Core Data Survey, and The Campus Computing Survey, to name a few.  All of these surveys have questions that require space usage data.  Taken together, a better understanding of our space could help us meeting the needs and requirements of external stakeholders.

How would doing this project allow you to better meet your employees’ needs?  Which, specifically?

By having a “perpetual” space and equipment inventory system, we would dramatically change work flow and improve planning.  A complete, up-to-date, and accurate database of MTU's space and its utilization information is a key tool for strategic planning.  Having an accurate space inventory would allow us to better assess our needs for space and how it is to be used when the University is looking at new buildings or overhauling what we have.   It would assist in scheduling, both classroom and meeting or conference use.  

How would accomplishing this Project change or affect your institution’s culture?

This would build trust.  The current space inventory process is done only once every three years, so people view it as a way for the administration to take space away. By doing this on an on-going basis, departments and employees would understand that it is just good business sense to keep our equipment and space inventory up-to-date as it is to keep our bookstore inventory up-to-date.   

What leadership and employee enthusiasm and support is there for doing the project now? 

The University is trying to build the necessary infrastructure to become a national research university.  Exemplary Federal compliance should be part of that infrastructure. Similarly, a sound process would help us provide instructors with leading edge teaching technology, and there is currently nothing in place to tell us when new technologies have become available in classrooms.

Then rate the project on the following three dimensions

Challenging             X             o             o             o             o             Easy

Simple              o            o            o            o             X            Complex

High Payoff             X            o            o            o            o            Low Payoff