A cross-divisional project is underway based on the late President Garrett's survey to determine areas of administrative burden, which identified facilities inventory management and reservations as one of the top four areas for improvement.

Recognizing the need for a university-wide system to manage academic and event reservations and facility space, multiple groups – including representatives from the colleges; the Office of the Provost; Student and Campus Life; Cornell Information Technologies; and Infrastructure, Properties and Planning – came together to start planning for these new systems. A capital project was approved and started this summer to address these concerns.

The project will focus on three areas:

• implementing a new academic and event scheduling tool that will allow for centralization of services where processes are currently duplicated;
• replacing the current Facilities Inventory System (FIS) and other space-management software with an Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS); and
• the reporting, analytics and creation of a Space DataMart.

These efforts will:

• update and clarify institutional policies and streamline processes;
• reduce the administrative burden on faculty, staff and students by consolidating functions within consistent applications that will reduce duplication, achieve efficiencies and implement best practices;
• create repeatable metrics;
• support cross-functional reporting and college and unit data needs; and
• enable the effective and efficient use of space based on a unified system and metrics.

A vendor for a new academic and events scheduling system has been chosen. The search is currently on for an Integrated Workplace Management System to replace the outdated Facilities Inventory System (FIS).

Contact Andrew Slusar, project manager, at aslusar@cornell.edu with questions.