APPA Library

"Higher Education Institutional Physical Infrastructure Backlog/Need"
Author: E. Lander Medlin
Published In: Facilities Manager
Date: May/June 2021

As Congress and the Biden Administration consider the path forward with the proposed infrastructure bill, it is important to be cognizant of the physical infrastructure needs of our campuses throughout higher education.   Higher education institutions in the United States spend about $36.8 billion annually on facilities operations, maintenance, and utilities, and an average of $27.8 billion annually for the construction of new facilities and/or the renovation of existing buildings. Colleges and universities provide more than 6.2 billion square feet of floor space in 210,000 buildings. The buildings’ average age approaches 50 years and have a Current Replacement Value (CRV) estimated to exceed $2 trillion (includes utilities infrastructure, roads, and landscaping). All of this investment is burdened today by a backlog/need (urgent deferred renewal) estimated at $112.3 billion. This article goes on to subdivide the backlog into different types of institutions.

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