ACADEMIC PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION

Terra Firma Consulting Services, LLC in partnership with BHDP Architecture offer this service that assists institutions by identifying areas for improvement, expansion, investment, reduction, or elimination with an emphasis on optimization of resource allocation. The process will utilize a multifactorial criteria set which includes, but is not limited to, a review of academic programs by assessing mission-fit, external and internal demand, opportunity, quality of program inputs and outcomes, analysis of a program’s size, scope, productivity, revenue, and cost, and a space utilization analysis.

​

A space utilization analysis provides a data-driven understanding of how effectively existing teaching spaces are being used and how current facilities align with institutional demand. By analyzing registrar scheduling data across one or more semesters, these studies measure when classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, and other instructional spaces are occupied, how often they are scheduled, and the associated seat-fill ratios. Higher education institutions increasingly view space as a limited strategic asset, and utilization studies help leaders move beyond assumptions and, in some cases, unconscious institutional or departmental bias, to make informed decisions about scheduling, capital planning, and future investments. Universities that actively manage space utilization are better positioned to support enrollment growth, evolving pedagogies, and long-term campus planning without resorting to expensive new construction or major renovations.

 

This analysis also identifies specific opportunities to improve efficiency and student experience across campus. Building-by-building summaries of daily and weekly utilization, seat fill rates, and campus-wide usage patterns reveal heavily utilized rooms that may indicate a need for more such spaces. Alternatively, this data often illuminates underutilized spaces that could be repurposed for new academic priorities, student support functions, informal spaces, or future growth. When paired with projected program expansion, a space utilization analysis helps determine the best-fit mix of classroom sizes based on square footage and seat counts, ensuring the right spaces exist for the right courses, campus-wide. Ultimately, the outcome is a practical roadmap that offers tremendous financial value in enabling university leadership to maximize existing assets, defer unnecessary capital costs, and align facilities decisions with strategic academic goals.

​

 

Projected length of engagement:

6 months – 1 year