The state's current processes to select and fund higher education facility construction projects include multiple levels of review and ensure that institutional requests for new construction are coordinated with the state's higher education goals, local strategic plans, and community development plans.

However, the effectiveness of the planning process is dependent on the information provided by the institutions to their respective state-level divisions to determine the state's most critical facility needs. As the facility planning process relies heavily on each institution's educational plant survey to identify and prioritize higher education facility needs, it is important that the information contained in these assessments is correct. The reliability and accuracy of information contained in these surveys could be improved by addressing two issues.

• The Department of Education and Board of Governors should update the formulas used to develop educational plant surveys to ensure they accurately portray current institutional need for additional facility space.
• The department and the Board of Governors should provide additional technical assistance to some institutions to address common errors in educational plant surveys.