Transforming the Academic Workplace at the Campus Scale

Rethinking Campus Workspace
New workstyles, locations, and spaces for
Administrative Staff (and faculty).
Tradeline University Facilities Conference 2019
Elliot Felix
elliot@brightspotstrategy.com
www.brightspotstrategy.com

brightspot Tradeline University Facilities 2019© 2019 brightspot. All Rights Reserved.
about brightspot
We create smart strategy that
connects people, programs,
and places to transform the
student experience.
Together we increase student
success, improve research
support, and enable staff
productivity while making
institutions more efficient and
effective.

about our clients
We partner with leading
colleges and universities to
get results.
We’ve worked on 130+
projects for 80+ institutions to
enable active learning, support
student projects, integrate
student services, and foster a
more connected community.

today’s objective and agenda
Why rethink
the workplace?
Our objective: Interactively explore opportunities to
rethink administrative office space at the campus scale,
considering workstyles, spaces, locations, and process.
How to rethink
the workplace?
How can you
get started?

why does this matter?
Growth in Staff Large Scale Rising Costs
Professional Staff increased 38%
and 42% at public and private
universities since 1990,
respectively.
There are about 555,600,000
NASF of office space on public
and private non-profit
campuses in the US.
The cost of student services
has increased 22% in the last
10 years.
Source: National Center for Education
Statistics
Source: SCUP Campus Facility Index
x NCES Enrollment Statistics
Source: Delta Cost project using
IPEDS data
Growth in Space Low Utilization Low Engagement
Office space per student has
increased 153% since 1974.
Most offices are utilized
30-50% of the workday on
average.
Only 34% of university faculty
and staff are engaged in the
workplace.
Source: UCLA Higher Education
Research Institute
Source: Numerous utilization studies
by brightspot and others
Source: Gallup

WHY are universities
rethinking the staff
(and faculty) workplace?

low student engagement
Student interaction with faculty and staff drives engagement. So, campuses are rethinking
workplaces to better enable these interactions.
Morgan State Behavioral & Social Sciences (HOK) Univ Minnesota Rochester (HGA)

unsustainable utilization
With buildings accounting for about 40% of carbon emissions and workspace as among
the least utilized spaces, campuses want to increase utilization and decrease footprint.

need to control costs
With the rise of staff per student and space per staff member while dealing with overall
financial constraints, colleges and universities are looking for ways to control costs.
Source: Sightlines State of Higher Ed 2018

make the best use of high value space
Institutions are recognizing the value of space at the campus core and locating staff
spaces based on their degree of interaction with students and faculty.
Duke University Quad Duke University at American Tobacco

adapt to more collaborative work patterns
Campuses are shifting the balance of individual and collaborative space to recognize
teamwork as the norm. Collaborative papers up 38% and 54% of time spent with others.
Source: The Economist.
Source:
Gensler Workplace
Survey 2016
PERCENTAGE OF TIME SPENT BY ACTIVITY

adapt to more mobile work patterns
Campuses are changing spaces, technology, and policies to reflect a more distributed
workforce since many functions can be performed from anywhere.
(Stantec)MIT Sloan School of Business

adapt to a changing workforce
Institutions are decreasing clerical/technical staff and increasing professional staff and
while shifting to a greater proportion of adjunct faculty, part-time staff, and vendors.
Full-time Faculty
Part-time Faculty/Grad
Asst.
Executive, Administrative
Professional
Non-Professional
(technical, clerical, service)
Source: Delta Cost Project
Using IPEDS data 1990 - 2012
University Employees
per 1,000 FTE Students

discussion question (7mins):
What are the workplace
challenges you are facing?

HOW are universities
rethinking the staff
(and faculty) workplace?

creating student service hubs
Campuses are co-locating or integrating different student services offices to provide more
effective service that is cost efficient. Transaction services came first, now consultations.
GW Colonial Central

shrinking individual space, growing team space
To reflect increased time in teams (and often to save space too), institutions are shrinking
individual workspace and creating more meeting spaces, lounges, and team spaces.
Loughborough University University of Washington Bothell

moving groups off-campus (or to the edge)
Institutions are relocating functions that don’t require student or faculty interaction to the
edge or off-campus to recognize the value of space at the campus core.
University of Michigan Wolverine Tower Stanford University Porter Drive Complex

change service delivery models
Institutions are rethinking how they deliver consultative services like advising to capitalize
on self-serve digital tools and to use shared enclosed spaces instead of assigned offices.
Portland State University - myPSU Georgia Tech “Library Store” Consult Center

shifting to more open workplaces
To enable collaboration, reduce space, or both, institutions are shifting to more open
workplaces with a variety of settings that accommodate different tasks and workstyles.
University of Minnesota Rochester (HGA)

shifting to unassigned workplaces
For highly-mobile groups (e.g., recruiting, consultative functions, etc) campuses are
moving to flexible work where employees can choose where and how they work.
University of Minnesota Work+

creating coworking hubs and more porous edges
Select campuses are creating coworking hubs that provide shared space for staff located
off-campus and visitors to provide flexibility and experiment with new models.
WeWork @ University of Marylandexample WeWork image

How might you rethink the
academic workplace?

HOW can you get
started transforming
the workplace?

consider people and space together
Workplace problems aren’t just space problems. You can only transform your space by
changing work processes, policies, technology, and culture at the same time.

integrate organizational change management
People are resistant to change. So, you need a change program from the beginning that
gets people informed, excited, and prepared for change.
Assess change readiness and
design the change program
and touchpoints
Utilize robust communications
and training about space,
tech, policies, and norms
Assess the results, make
adjustments, and feed into
future projects

conduct a baseline campus assessment
Many campuses don’t have basic metrics like density, growth, or conditions. More still lack
an analysis of functional and location fit. Start there to figure out what you’ve got.

make the case for change
Data alone won’t make the case, but some new metrics can help. For instance, in cost per
per person per hour, enclosed office space is 5 to 11 times as costly as classroom space.
Comparison of Classroom vs. Office
Cost Per Person Per Hour Utilized
Classroom Large Office Small Office
High-Use Low-Use High-Use Low-Use
Classroom Office Office Office Office
sqft / person 25 140 140 100 100
% utilization 65% 40% 25% 40% 25%
hours in a week 45 45 45 45 45
utilization hours 29.25 18 11.25 18 11.25
Capex / Sqft $300 $200 $200 $200 $200
Lifespan in years 20 20 20 20 20
Annualized Capex / Sqft $15 $10 $10 $10 $10
Opex / Sqft $7 $7 $7 $7 $7
Total Annual Cost / Sqft $22 $17 $17 $17 $17
Total Annual Cost / Person $550 $2,380 $2,380 $1,700 $1,700
Total Annual Cost / Person / Hour Utilized $19 $132 $212 $94 $151
Office as Multiple of Classroom Cost N/A 7x 11.3x 5x 8x

forecast future workspace needs
Using enrollment and staffing projections as well as an analysis of your workstyles (by
individual, role, or group), forecast your future needs to uncover gaps and opportunities.
Space Budget Per Person
Current Future
% NASF % NASF
Individual 77% 115 65% 85
Collaborative 14% 21 23% 30
Support 9% 13 12% 15
Total 100% 149 100% 130

make the most of pilot projects and swing space
Pilots and temporary workplaces are valuable opportunities to test idea, gather data,
make the case and build momentum. Use them wisely.
University of Michigan, Weiser Hall Pilot with BLI

ways to move forward
In our experience, there are three ways to move forward. The one that’s right for you
depends on the context and climate on your campus. Timing and process are everything.
BOLD LEADER willing to
spend considerable political
capital
NEW GROUP whose
expectations can be set on a
new workplace model
PILOT PROJECT with
champions interested in
testing new models
UCSF Mission Hall Univ of Minnesota Rochester Univ of Minnesota Twin Cities

How will you get started –
what will you do in the next
week, month, and year?

Low student engagement Creating student services hubs Consider people and space
Unsustainable utilization Shrink space allocations Integrate change management
Need to control costs Move groups off-campus Conduct a baseline assessment
Find the best use of space Change service delivery Make the case for change
Plan for teamwork Shift to open workplaces Forecast future needs
Enable mobile work Shift to unassigned workplaces Make the most of pilots
Adapt to a new workforce Create coworking hubs Pick the right path forward
Why Rethink the
Academic Workplace?
How to Rethink the
Academic Workplace?
How Can You Get
Started?

want more insights?
sign up here:
https://www.brightspotstrategy.com/insights/

thank you!
Elliot Felix
elliot@brightspotstrategy.com
www.brightspotstrategy.com

Transforming the Academic Workplace at the Campus Scale

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