Graduation Term

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations: Educational Administration

Committee Chair

Lydia Kyei-Blankson

Committee Member

John Rugutt

Committee Member

Mohamed Nur-Awaleh

Abstract

The growing complexity of higher education finance, aging infrastructure, and rising accountability expectations has intensified demands on facilities organizations to manage institutional assets strategically. As colleges and universities face sustained fiscal constraints and expanding operational pressures, the ability of facilities leaders to use data to inform performance management has become increasingly critical. Despite this importance, limited empirical research has examined how facilities leaders integrate data into decision-making within public higher education contexts.

The quantitative study employed a cross-sectional, exploratory survey design to investigate data utilization practices among facilities leaders at U.S. public four-year institutions. Guided by the Data–Information–Knowledge–Wisdom hierarchy and the Demand–Supply framework, the study examined how leaders used performance indicators across four domains: reliability and predictability, resource management, environmental and sustainability performance, and process improvement. Findings revealed that data utilization was most developed in operationally visible areas such as process improvement and fiscal stewardship, where indicators including facilities condition and cost measures supported accountability and budget justification. In contrast, reliability indicators were used more narrowly, suggesting that predictive and lifecycle-oriented analytics remained less integrated into long-range asset strategy. Although leaders reported strong enabling conditions, these factors did not statistically correspond with broader data utilization, indicating a gap between organizational capacity and applied practice.

This study extends data-informed decision-making scholarship into facilities operations and highlights a gap between organizational capacity and applied data use. The findings underscore the need for integrated institutional mechanisms that connect data systems, leadership practice, and performance management, enabling facilities organizations to move from operational monitoring toward strategic institutional stewardship.

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

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