Case Study: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities achieves $50M in savings and reduces 60,000 sq ft of wasted space with Accruent EMS

How Minnesota State saved $50M and eliminated 60,000 square feet of wasted space with EMS

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, a 54-campus higher education system with 14,400 staff and faculty, faced a capital-planning challenge: they needed reliable data to decide whether to repair, replace, or rebuild aging facilities. Using Accruent EMS across all locations to replace a patchwork of tools, the system sought to validate space needs—most urgently at Bemidji State University, where an 83,000 sq ft building housing 70% of classrooms was failing and planners disagreed on what size replacement was required.

Accruent EMS’ reporting and validation tools—time‑block reporting, optimization, hourly room and classroom utilization reports—were used to model, reassign, and optimize courses; the team was able to place 100% of courses with fewer than 12 time‑block shifts. By validating a 23,000 sq ft replacement instead of rebuilding 83,000 sq ft, Minnesota State eliminated 60,000 sq ft of wasted space and estimates about $50,000,000 in cost savings. Accruent EMS continues to support the system’s campus remodels and capital decisions with transparent, data-driven reporting.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

Stacy Brown

Facilities Data Analyst