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Nighttime Walk

University of California Davis Facilities Management

 

Guide to California Lighting Regulations: Title 20

Readings:

UC Davis Adaptive Controls for Exterior Lighting

Flat White

Department of Education

Education Export Income*

 

“This is the story of how Italian sugar growers in the Sunshine State are said to have inspired

the “invention” of the flat white – a drink that would go on to become a global sensation. 

 — Garritt Van Dyk – Lecturer at the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences

Two cups of espresso sitting on saucers

* Approximate Order of Magnitude Estimates: International student fees account for approximately 25–27% of total Australian university revenue. In 2024, this equated to A$12.33 billion out of A$45.17 billion in gross revenue across 42 universities. The vast majority of these international students come from Asia (particularly China, India, Nepal, Vietnam, and other nearby countries), which consistently represent over 90% of international enrolments in higher education. Sources indicate most are from Asian countries, with top sources alone (China ~23%, India ~17%, Nepal ~8%, etc.) comprising well over half, and historical figures showing ~80–90% from Asia overall.
§


Sinterklaas Koffie

Nederland | Koninklijk Nederlands Normalisatie Instituut | NEN 1010 (IEC 60364)

An “gezelligheid” moment on the evening of December 5th (Sinterklaasavond). Adults gather after children go to bed with gifts (remember children?), enjoying strong coffee generously laced with genever or another jenever-like spirit, often spiced with cinnamon or anise. Sometimes topped with whipped cream, it warms the festive mood while singing traditional Sinterklaas songs and sharing stories of Sint and his Zwarte Pieten who arrive on a boat from Spain.

Readings:

The Heritage Foundation: Interview with Dutch Scholars on Marriage

Peppermint Coffee

“It’s Time To Tell You EVERYTHING…” | Victor Davis Hanson

 

“Established in 1956, National University of Natural Medicine is the oldest accredited naturopathic medical university in North America and a leader in natural medicine education and evidence-based research. As one of the most respected universities of natural medicine in the world, our participation in international medical education and research is routinely solicited. We believe in the healing power of nature, and that food is medicine.”

Peppermint, scientifically known as Mentha × piperita, is a hybrid mint, a cross between watermint (Mentha aquatica) and spearmint (Mentha spicata). It belongs to the Lamiaceae family, which also includes other aromatic herbs like basil, rosemary, and lavender. Here are some key scientific points about peppermint:

Botanical Classification: Lamiaceae

Characteristics: Peppermint is a herbaceous perennial plant known for its distinctive minty aroma and flavor. It has square-shaped stems, serrated leaves, and produces small purple or white flowers in spikes.

Chemical Composition: The characteristic flavor and scent of peppermint are attributed to its essential oil, which contains menthol as a major component. Other compounds found in peppermint oil include menthone, menthyl acetate, and various terpenoids.

Cultivation: Peppermint is a hardy plant and is known to grow well in a variety of climates. It is often cultivated for commercial purposes, both for its culinary use and the extraction of essential oils.

Peppermint has been adapted for pharmaceutical and cosmetic purposes. Its essential oil is extracted for use in aromatherapy, and peppermint tea is a common herbal infusion enjoyed for both its taste and potential health benefits.

Bastyr University: Herbal Science Program

University of California Berkely Jepson Herbaria

Maryland University Integrative Health: Herbal Medicine

Coffee & Tea Standards

“The Coffee House Orator” 1880 | Edgar Bundy

Why Can No One Think Rationally Anymore? – George Mack

 

Ædificare & Utilization

It has been 20 years since we began following educational facilities construction activity.  Starting this month we will examine federal government data together with the best available data about space utilization to enlighten our response to the perfectly reasonable question: “Are we over-building or under-building or building ineffectively”.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

United States: Schools of Architecture

The Society for College and University Planning (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

National Center for Education Statistics

The Financial Impact of Architectural Design: Balancing Aesthetics and Budget in Modern Construction

 

Homeschooling

2022 International Existing Building Code 

  • University College London

As reported by the US Department of Commerce Census Bureau the value of construction put in place by May 2025 by the US education industry proceeded at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $135.970 billion.  This number does not include renovation for projects under 50,000 square feet and new construction in university-affiliated health care delivery enterprises.   Reports are released two months after calendar month.  The complete report is available at the link below:

MONTHLY CONSTRUCTION SPENDING August 2025 (released two months after calendar month)

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN LAST MONTH HAS INTERRUPTED THE RELEASE CADENCE THIS MONTH

 

 


This spend makes the US education facilities industry (which includes colleges, universities, technical/vocational and K-12 schools, most university-affiliated medical research and healthcare delivery enterprises, etc.) the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States after commercial property; and fairly close.  For perspective consider total public + private construction ranked according to the tabulation most recently released:

$137.604 billion| Education Facilities

$155.728 billion | Power

$69.625 billion | Healthcare

Keep in mind that inflation figures into the elevated dollar figures.  Overall — including construction, energy, custodial services, furnishings, security. etc., — the non-instructional spend plus the construction spend of the US education facilities is running at a rate of about $300 – $500 billion per year.

LIVE: A selection of construction cameras at  US schools, colleges and universities

Architectural Billings

We typically pick through the new data set; looking for clues relevant to real asset spend decisions.  Finally, we encourage the education facilities industry to contribute to the accuracy of these monthly reports by responding the US Census Bureau’s data gathering contractors.

Reconstruction of Ancient Agora

 

As surely as people are born, grow wealthy and die with extra cash,

there will be a home for that cash to sustain their memory and to steer

the cultural heritage of the next generation in beautiful settings.

More

National Center for Educational Statistics

AIA: Billings Index shows but remains strong May 2022

National Center for Education Statistics

Sightlines: Capital Investment College Facilities

OxBlue: Time-Lapse Construction Cameras for Education

Architectural Billing Index

IBISWorld Education Sector

US Census Bureau Form F-33 Survey of School System Finances

American School & University

Global Consistency in Presenting Construction & Life Cycle Costs

Carnegie Classifications

Integrated Planning Glossary

 

Attendees of the SCUP 2025 North Atlantic Symposium sit on the Commons in Columbia Business School and smile.

The Society of College and University Planning was founded in 1965 at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor during an informal gathering of campus planners frustrated with the lack of professional exchange in their emerging field. Rapid postwar enrollment growth and massive campus expansion projects had created urgent needs for long-range physical planning, yet few institutions had dedicated planners or shared knowledge.
A small group, led by University of Michigan planners George J. Bruha and Frederick W Mayer met in Ann Arbor to discuss common challenges facing other State of Michigan settlements; joined by Stanford, Ohio State and the University of Illinois. They decided to create a formal organization to foster collaboration, research, and professional development. In 1966, with Michigan’s support, SCUP was officially established as a nonprofit with its first office on the Ann Arbor campus. Its founding principle—integrated planning linking academics, finances, and facilities—remains central today.

Integrated Planning Glossary


Early operations benefited from administrative support (aegis) provided by the University of Michigan, including office space and resources in Ann Arbor. This arrangement persisted until a financial crisis in the late 1970s (1976–1980), during which SCUP relocated to New York.

The decoupling—marking full operational and administrative independence from the University of Michigan—occurred in 1980, when SCUP returned to Ann Arbor as a self-sustaining nonprofit headquartered at a separate location –1330 Eisenhower Place — less than a mile walk from Standards Michigan‘s front door at 455 East Eisenhower.

* Of the 220 ANSI Accredited Standards Developers, the State of Michigan ranks 3rd in the ranking of U.S. states with the most ANSI-accredited standards developers (ASDs) headquartered there; behind the Regulatory Hegemons of California and ChicagoLand and excluding the expected cluster foxtrot of non-profits domiciled in the Washington-New York Deep State Megalopolis.  Much of Michigan’s presence in the private consensus standards space originates from its industrial ascendency through most of the 1900’s.

Children’s Rights Management

The Icelandic Standards Body has proposed a new ISO standard: Children’s rights management (Page 45).   Public comment will be received until December 10th.

Háskóli Íslands Reykjavík

Icelandic Standards Children’s Rights Management Proposal

 

Graduation, Dating, Engagements, Weddings, Births & Obituaries

Michigan State University

t5rtrtr

Weddings

 



Nine years later and first day as husband and wife they got to finally sneak a kiss in one of the first places they ever passed notes

Hun School Of Princeton

“…I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.” –W.B. Yeats | ‘He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’

“Nature’s Masterpiece”

Several colleges and universities have “kissing benches” or similar traditions tied to romance on campus.

Michigan State University Beaumont Tower: Nick and Myra Kanillopoulos

Syracuse University. Kissing Bench: This bench on the Quad is steeped in tradition. Legend has it that if a couple kisses on the bench, they will eventually marry. Conversely, if a single person sits there alone, they risk staying single forever.

University of Idaho.  Hello Walk and Kissing Rock: While not a bench, this area on campus features a large rock where students have historically kissed. It’s a romantic tradition for couples at the university.

Florida State University Kissing Bench

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Clemson University Lover’s Lane

Illinois State University

University of Cambridge: St. John’s College Bridge of Sighs

University of Oxford: The Bridge of Sighs

University of Bath Somerset County: Sham Castle

Weddings

Sport News

 

 

 



Michigan Girl, Our Michigan Girl….

Sport Standards

 

 

Mixed Gender Sport by Design

Engineering in Sport



“Rowing is more poetry than sport.” — George Pocock (‘Boys in the Boat’ 2024), a British-born boat builder, rowing coach, and influential figure in American rowing, best known for his craftsmanship of racing shells and his philosophical approach to the sport.

Winter Sport

Berrien Springs

Michigan West

Settled in the Village of Berrien Springs (Population 2043, including students) Andrews University is the flagship educational institution of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and is made up of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration, School of Education, School of Health Professions, and the School of Architecture, Art & Design.

The University is named after John Nevins Andrews (1829–1883), the biggest thinker in the 19th-century Seventh-day Adventist Church.  He was also the first sponsored missionary that the Church sent overseas. J.N. Andrews’ example of careful thought and compassionate action in Christian life is something we have taken to heart. Our motto is “Seek Knowledge. Affirm Faith. Change the World.”

 

Welcome

Standards Michigan Group, LLC

2723 South State Street | Suite 150
Ann Arbor, MI 48104 USA

888-746-3670

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