Managing the University Campus: Information to Support Real Estate Decisions Free

Managing the University Campus: Information to Support Real Estate Decisions is a conceptual and informative model to improve campus management. Den Heijer offers us crucial information and tools from operational to strategic level, which enables us to make effective decisions in the management of campuses. Her use of comparable data and account of practical methods is a culmination of over a decade of exploration and research on managing the campus.

The focus of the book is on the “physical” aspect of the management perspective. The book's intended audience is wide in scope. Not only does it benefit policy makers at a local level, but it also has a global appeal. The latter is because the university occupies a vital component in any city, since it is a key partner in the knowledge economy – as a producer of knowledge and knowledge workers (Wiewel and Parry 2008).

What triggered Den Heijer's research was the lack of evidence-based approach studies that manage to translate theory into practice. Den Heijer attempts to fill this vacuum by collaborating with Dutch universities, in an effort to overcome the many challenges of an environment subject to decreasing public funding, significant carbon footprints, low occupancy rates, investment issues and uncertainty of student enrolment. Much concern has been given to the last challenge, primarily because the size of the campus has often followed trends in student enrolment. This underlines the importance of the campus to the university's productivity, profitability, competitive advantages and sustainable development (De Vries, 2007).

The book consists of three parts. The author initiates the study with an “input” approach, in which background information and applied theories are given. The second represents the core of her findings. The third part is an “output”, management information, tools and strategies for managing campus.

In the initial part of the book, the author begins with an introduction, which proposes that universities can improve strategic campus management, thereby “adding value” to the university's performance. Then she provides some useful information on the history and context of 14 publicaly funded Dutch universities. Den Heijer moves away from the descriptive character of the first two chapter towards the more theory orientated chapter three. It is here that we learn that her methodology is based on using components of the body of knowledge and adapting some conceptual frame works (Maslow, 1954; De Vries, 2007). The Cooperate Real Estate Management (CREM) theory has been used in this book, given its relevance for managing the university campus (Bank, 2004; Den Heijer, 2004) and also the fact that some theories on campus management were derived from campus planning theories (Tierney, 1999; Richard, 1963; Hewitt, 1997; Brent, 2005), which have an obvious spatial focus.

In the second part of the book, Chapters 4-7, Den Heijer assesses the current campus by exploring the changing demand. We learn that generating future models for the campus and defining projects to transform the campus are the fundamental frameworks for campus management.

The final part of the book consists of recommendations through which lessons for the theory and practice can be drawn. What we draw from this section was the integrated approach to managing the campus, which takes into account all the stakeholders, weighing benefits and costs, covering strategic goals, user demands and of course the physical aspects of the campus. Another essential matter is the challenging future she foretells. In a time where managing a campus has become even more complex, forward planning is not as straightforward as it once was. Changing functional needs requires a more flexible and adaptable campus. The author raises a rather interesting point about managing the campus. That is considering partnership (for sharing use, ownership or management of the campus as a whole or just specific parts). This can include, but not limited to, academic functions (research laboratories), residential functions (student housing), related business functions (incubators), retail and leisure functions (restaurant and sport facilities) and finally the infrastructure functions (accessibility and parking).

This book is compelling and full of rich content. The author's style is coherent, analytical and original. What adds credibility to this book is the fact that some of the conceptual models, which have been developed over a decade, have become widespread in university campus strategies. However, there are some drawbacks. Perhaps the most important is this study's incessant focus on the Dutch experience. Although strongly justified by the author, this study would have had a far greater impact, if she included campuses from other parts of the world. Second, we are unaware of the extent to which Den Heijer's data are reliable, this concern is even shared with the author herself in the last chapter.

The significance of the book is that it provides a valuable and a revealing window into improving management by providing crucial information about the campus. Such information has different dimensions, matching the various scientific disciplines that are relevant for the campus.

Overall, the author has achieved her initial claims by putting together an integrated approach (useful tools and comparable data) that facilitates managing campuses in a period fraught with complexity and uncertainty. The book is highly recommended for those of us who are interested in the management of campuses, not only in our present time but also in our future.

The book was published in 2011 (first edition was in March, and the second was in December).

The webpage is: http://managingtheuniversitycampus.nl/