Deferred maintenance across higher education has reached a record high, with average facilities backlog rising to $156 per gross square foot—nearly double the $80 level reported in 2007—according to Gordian’s latest State of Facilities in Higher Education report. Campuses are increasingly identifying that the space and facilities they built for faster growth no longer match enrollment trajectories. The report links the worsening debt to years of underinvestment and notes that construction has fallen to a 40-year low, limiting the “relief valve” that new buildings previously provided for maintenance costs. Institutions are beginning to replace the most dilapidated buildings with smaller, more flexible facilities as a way to reduce the costliest liabilities. Routine maintenance budgets are also strained, dropping 18.5% below necessary levels, while facilities staff carry more square footage than in 2007—27% more for custodians—despite tighter operating resources. Energy consumption per square foot continues to improve, but the stewardship challenge is still intensifying. For trustees and presidents, the report frames a shift from growth-era capital plans to near-term capital triage, with “right-sizing” becoming a defining operating decision for affordability and student experience.