Rod Rose is vice president of the JCM Group in Los Angeles and an at-large member of APPA's Board of Directors. He is also editor of Planning for Higher Education, a journal published by the Society for College and University Planning. He can be reached at rrose@jcmgroup.com.

During the coming months, APPA will introduce what may be one of the most important programs in its history-the Center for Facilities Research (CFaR)-established to organize and consolidate research in facilities management issues. Research developed through CFaR will enhance APPA's visibility among higher education institutions and associations, attract new members and new business partners, increase opportunities for sponsored research contracts or grants, and energize strategic alliances with educational institutions and associations worldwide.

Over many decades, effective management of college and university facilities has been the primary focus of APPA's membership and its programs. However, it has become increasingly important for facilities planners and managers to understand and to more clearly articulate the link between what they do and what they manage to the essential survival and success of the institution itself. This means placing more attention on the importance of facilities management relative to institutional policy, academic planning, budgeting and finance, community relationships, and higher education policy at the state, region, and federal levels. By developing a body of knowledge and expertise on specific issues that can influence these environments, APPA and facilities managers will become more influential in making decisions at the most critical institutional levels.

APPA hopes that CFaR will be perceived as a national and/or international resource for specific types of information that are critical to policy making in higher education-a place where critical higher education issues are explored that are not being explored by others. In order to accomplish this, CFaR will solicit research proposals from its members, business partners, and/or other associations with an interest in the important role that facilities play in institutional decision making. Research projects may involve individuals, institutions, or teams with varying professional or academic expertise. Some research projects may focus on very specific, tactical issues such as cost-effective project delivery or the impact on facilities of year-round education. Other topics might include exploration of the value of integrating academic and facility plans, the role of facilities design or maintenance in college or university competitiveness, or the impact of emerging distance learning technologies on campus facilities.

In some cases, resources for research projects may be provided from the participating institutions. For others, CFaR may solicit resources from other associations, foundations, corporations, or federal agencies to support its required research activities. In all cases, CFaR will establish a diverse oversight group that will review the merits of each proposal and monitor the progress of research. Research results may be disseminated through publications, conference presentations, websites, or other media.

Of the hundreds of issues that face higher education today, there are at least four that are not only at the top of the list of concerns of the majority of colleges and universities, but that also provide significant opportunities for APPA-sponsored research to make significant contributions. These issues include: 1) the ability to attract and retain students and faculty; 2) the dramatic increases in the cost of higher education; 3) the impact of changing technologies; and 4) the important relationships of colleges and universities to their communities and the environment. Strategic connections between effective planning and facility management may not always be obvious. The more that institutional administrators, Boards of Trustees or Regents, and legislators understand these links, the easier it will be to justify resources, make changes in deferred maintenance funding formulas, and develop consistent design and energy management standards in the areas of facilities management.

By establishing CFaR as a national and/or international resource for consistent, comparative, and relevant facilities information, APPA believes that educational facilities managers, as well as institutional policy and decision makers, will have reliable research on which to base critical decisions that affect the future of their institutions.