Colleges and universities grant the freedom of advanced learning and the pursuit of knowledge. More open spaces and a more dynamic population make campus safety a complex task. As the global economic downturn continues, colleges are experiencing budget shortfalls. Despite funding challenges, higher education benefits from strong IT networks offering plentiful bandwidth. Security providers need to look for practical ways to make every cent count in higher education. While spending on security equipment is low, solutions with added value offer greater benefits.
Colleges and universities grant the freedom of advanced learning and the pursuit of knowledge. More open spaces and a more dynamic population make campus safety a complex task. As the global economic downturn continues, colleges are experiencing budget shortfalls. Despite funding challenges, higher education benefits from strong IT networks offering plentiful bandwidth. Security providers need to look for practical ways to make every cent count in higher education. While spending on security equipment is low, solutions with added value offer greater benefits.
Shootings are a horrific reality in higher education. Virginia Tech made headlines again in December with a second shooting, resulting in the deaths of an officer and the gunman. Despite the tragic loss of life, the institution responded quickly, notifying students and staff about what happened, and lifting the campus alert once it was safe. This was a marked improvement from the 2007 massacre, when 33 lives were lost to a shooter. There is no gadget for preventing violence, but technology can play a valuable role in emergency response.
Institutions have unique considerations depending on the region and the campus environment, which is discussed in the first article of our three-part coverage. Next, we examine how IP networking benefits integration on campuses, along with how to overcome challenges. Finally, security players must deliver value-added benefits to survive in the highly selective procurement process.
While the financial outlook is gloomy, education continues to beat the market. It takes IP savvy, site-specific planning and a strong value proposition to deliver a best-in-class solution. Besides security technologies, institutions need plans and exercises for emergencies from dangerous weather to active shooters. While there is no way to plan for every scenario, higher education has to be prepared for the worst.
North American construction has slowed due to the economic crisis. However, education remains the top nonresidential building market in the U.S. According to the 2011 Construction Repo r t pub l i shed b y S cho o l Planning and Management , a total of US$11.6 billion was spent on school construction in the U.S. in 2010, with $12.5 billion projected for 2011. This indicates college construction is rebounding from the depths of the recession. Increased college endowments were another encouraging sign last year for many public institutions that depend on state legislatures for the bulk of their construction dollars. However, difficult times may still be ahead, as states and provinces experience budget shortfalls.
According to the 2011 report, colleges were expected to spend almost $11.6 billion on construction, up $300 million from 2009. Of that amount, $8.5 billion or 73.1 percent will go into new buildings. Almost $2 billion will be used to retrofit, renovate and upgrade existing structures. When renovation projects are started on a college campus, overhauling the building's electrical and HVAC systems comes first. On average, security equipment represents 15.6 percent of renovation spending. 
Colleges and universities grant the freedom of advanced learning beyond what primary or secondary schools can offer. Such openness is not the privilege of students and faculty, as it creates security concerns as well. Such openness also attracts more threats. Balancing an appropriate level of freedom and surveillance is important for higher education. “The need to have open access while maintaining security is part of the culture of university environments — more so than in any other market,” said John Moss, CEO of S2 Security.
Mapping Video Deployment
The degree of acceptance for video surveillance varies by regions, as administrators understandably do not want schools to look like prisons. “In some countries, security applications such as access or video are still perceived as ‘Big Brother' and therefore are not accepted by law,” said Barbara Winkler-Chimbor, Director of Global Education Market Development, Genetec. Local government legislation must be respected as well, particularly privacy statutes.
It is crucial to understand local attitudes toward surveillance. “In North America, the use of video surveillance is widely accepted,” she said. “The only difference between the U.S. and Canada is the actual camera count installation. For example, in the U.S., higher education institutions deploy video surveillance not only in buildings but stadiums, parking lots and more. In South America, video is used and accepted as well. To date, we have seen a trend in video applications funding in Mexico, the Caribbean and Brazil.”
In Asia, acceptance for video surveillance depends on countryspecific preferences. “In some countries such as Taiwan, teachers and students do not like being watched in class, while in China and Thailand, it is quite common to see cameras installed in classrooms,” said Alf Chang, Senior Consultant for a&s magazines. Video surveillance in China is installed not only to enhance campus security but to prevent academic dishonesty as well. Surveillance cameras are installed in 60,000 test centers in China to prevent students from cheating on the national college entrance exam. Each test center is equipped with four surveillance cameras, Chang said. Classrooms in Thailand install cameras for a different reason — to cope with the challenges of insufficient teachers with multimedia classrooms.
“In Europe, the U.K. leads for video surveillance acceptance, including the deployment of a high number of cameras. The Benelux countries have been using video surveillance for quite a while, but not on the same scale as the U.K. The rest of the European countries, such as France and Germany, are still very reluctant and the use video is very rare in higher educational institutions,” Winkler-Chimbor said.
For institutions that want to minimize camera counts, panoramic cameras can cover a wide field of view and make the installation less intrusive, said Steve Gorski, GM of the Americas, Mobotix.