GUILFORD, Conn., Aug. 24, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sightlines, LLC, a leader in helping schools better manage their facilities operations and capital investment strategies, today announced that Montana State University (MSU) has signed an agreement to join the group of more than 250 American colleges and universities who partner with Sightlines to make more informed decisions about campus planning and investments.
Founded in 1893 and located in Bozeman, Mont., MSU is one of only 108 institutions designated a "very high research activity" school by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of teaching. This means that MSU is among the top 2 percent of institutions nationwide in research, which translates into significant opportunities for research, scholarship and creative work. There are nearly 15,000 students enrolled at the university.
"Montana State is a leading academic institution in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest and is a large, complex university that is a terrific addition to our membership," said David Kadamus, president and chief executive officer of Guilford, Conn.-based Sightlines. "We're delighted to partner with their campus team to help them move 'beyond benchmarking' and identify opportunities to optimize the management of their current assets, capital and operating investments. We also look forward to Montana State's participation in the exchange of ideas between our members as we strive to bring greater insight, perspective and tactical ideas for discovering untapped possibilities for America's college campuses."
Sightlines uses its proprietary QVC ProcessSM (Quantify, Verify, Qualify) to help colleges and universities with their strategic decision-making about campus planning and investments. In collaboration with its members, Sightlines independently gathers and validates facilities investment data, benchmarks each member against its peer institutions, and provides strategic insight for short-term and long-term capital investment decision-making. This unique service allows members to optimize their campus investments and contribute to the mission and long-term financial health of their institutions.
Montana State is the latest institution to sign on with Sightlines in recent months, joining colleges such as the University of Kentucky, Virginia State University, University of Tennessee – Knoxville, College of St. Benedict, Dalhousie University and Otis College of Art and Design.
"We're very gratified by the addition of these highly regarded colleges and universities throughout the U.S. to our list of member institutions," said Kadamus. "Our ability to sign on these new members illustrates the value that our service provides to schools in the management of their facilities operations and capital investment strategies."
Founded in 2000, Sightlines works with more than 250 institutions annually to create its ROPASM (Return on Physical Assets) service, which provides a holistic approach to defining capital needs and providing an independent view of campus performance, reliably benchmarked against peer institutions. Academic institutions use ROPA to defend budgets, secure additional funds, evaluate new construction, rebalance budgets, assess maintenance backlogs, determine proper staffing and service levels, and successfully present budgets to boards. For more information, please go to www.sightlines.com or email insights@sightlines.com.