The Campus-Wide Scheduling And Space Management Solution at Duke University

"In today's cost-constrained higher education environment, campus real estate is more valuable than ever. Universities are being asked to do more with existing facilities while balancing cost pressures, hybrid work, and expectations from students and faculty. In this context, scheduling and space management isn't just about reserving a room; it's about supporting user experiences across a wide range of spaces, from study rooms to athletic fields."

"With limited ability to expand campus footprints and pressure to optimize existing facilities, universities need centralized data to reduce scheduling friction and support coordination across departments. Scheduling and space data are also relied on more heavily for strategic campus operations and planning, helping institutions manage complex space needs with fewer conflicts and less manual work."

"Duke University's campus spans more than 8,600 acres and serves approximately 17,000 students annually. At this scale, scheduling conflicts are common as teams coordinate a high volume of spaces with diverse requirements, including classrooms, athletics, event venues, and shared workspaces. Without a consistent way to standardize and align scheduling data, this complexity created challenges with scheduling and reporting, forced reactive problem solving to scheduling conflicts, and added manual reconciliation burden on campus."

"In 2013, the university's athletic department implemented Accruent's EMS Professional, a scheduling and space management software, to assist with persistent scheduling challenges. In 2017, Duke University upgraded to EMS Enterprise for increased functionality and adoption across other departments, including the School of Business and the School of Nursing. However, the institution still faced siloed systems, inconsistent room names, and challenges with scheduling and reporting."

Cost pressures, hybrid work, and evolving expectations increase the value of campus real estate and raise the need for effective scheduling and space management. Scheduling and space data support user experiences across many facilities, including study rooms, classrooms, athletic fields, and event venues. Limited expansion capacity and the need to optimize existing space drive institutions to rely on scheduling and space data for strategic planning and operations. Duke University’s large campus and diverse space requirements create frequent scheduling conflicts and reporting challenges, especially when scheduling data is inconsistent or siloed. Duke implemented Accruent’s EMS Professional in 2013 and upgraded to EMS Enterprise in 2017, but still faced siloed systems and inconsistent room naming. Centralized data and improved coordination were pursued to reduce friction and manual reconciliation.

Read at Facility Executive Magazine