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Challenge: An Opportunity to Start Fresh
At a bustling urban campus like Boston University, space is at a premium, and no one felt this more than the administrative team at the Questrom School of Business.
For a long time, many offices in Questrom were permanently assigned to individual faculty members. The few spaces that were not assigned – including conference rooms, lounges, event spaces, and shared offices – all relied entirely on a single booking administrator to manage.
Faculty often needed to send multiple emails or make phone calls to secure a room. The process was manual, opaque, and vulnerable to conflicts, leaving faculty frustrated and administrators time-constrained.
To make matters more pressing, the school had only 170 faculty offices for over 240 professors. As the faculty body grew, it became clear that permanent office assignments and a central booking administrator were no longer feasible solutions.
The situation became even more unsustainable when Questrom’s long-time event manager resigned. Her departure, while leaving a critical operational gap, created an opportunity for the administration to rethink how shared spaces in Questrom are reserved.
“IT suggested a patchwork of Outlook calendars, and I was panic-Googling in the middle of the night for a better solution.” — Becky DiMattia, Associate Director of System Administration & Operations
That midnight search led Becky to Skedda: a flexible, cloud-based workplace management platform that could modernize how space was booked and managed at Questrom.
Solution: Building In, Not Building Out
Instead of adding more square footage (which was impossible), Questrom decided to rethink how space was used.
“We had to let go of the idea that only admins could manage space responsibly.” — Becky DiMattia, Associate Director of System Administration & Operations
Together, Becky and Kris Weir, Director of Operations and Space Planning, launched Skedda to help faculty gain easier access to shared offices and conference rooms. The approach was radical for the higher education space: allow adjunct faculty and teaching assistants to book their own office space based on need and availability.
“Skedda has drastically reduced the workload of office assignments, removed assumptions about our adjunct faculty’s preferences, and allowed them a choice of offices to work from.” — Kris Weir, Director of Operations and Space Planning
Using tag-specific access links, each faculty member received secure permissions tailored to their role. Implementation went smoothly, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
“[Faculty] clicked the link and booked their space. That was it.” — Becky DiMattia
What began as a solution for adjunct faculty was soon expanded to include TAs as well, with floor-specific controls and rule-based permissions. Skedda made it simple to govern shared space without micromanagement.
Results: A Cultural Shift Around Space
Seamless Self-Service Bookings
By decentralizing the booking process, Questrom empowered its community. Guided by automated booking rules, faculty and TAs now reserve shared offices, lounges, or event spaces without administrative bottlenecks.
“Having TAs and faculty self-book frees up tons of time — right when we need it most, at the start of the semester.” — Becky DiMattia
Enhanced Data-Driven Decision Making
Questrom uses Skedda’s Workplace Intelligence reports to reveal how spaces are being used, and which ones aren’t. This insight helps debunk assumptions, eliminates overbooking myths, and ensures smarter resource planning.
Increased Visibility and Transparency
Fully interactive digital maps mean faculty can now visually browse space availability and booking schedules across every floor. This makes navigation easier, reduces miscommunication, and provides real-time clarity to users and admins alike.
Hours Saved, Every Semester
Manual scheduling headaches are now a thing of the past. What once took weeks — assigning faculty to offices, chasing down keys, managing conflicting requests — now takes significantly less time with Skedda.
“It takes a matter of hours to set up all the faculty, send informational emails, and give out keys.” — Kris Weir
Conclusion: Trust, Transparency, and a Smarter Campus
The team at Questrom didn’t just modernize room reservations; they reshaped campus culture. By trusting faculty and staff with self-service capabilities, the school eliminated roadblocks, surfaced new insights, and built a more transparent system that respects everyone’s time.
“Don’t be afraid to decentralize.” — Becky DiMattia
From capital efficiency to academic agility, the Questrom School of Business proves that you don’t need to build out, you just need to build smarter.
Ready to tell your own story?
Book a live demo and take the first step toward a modern campus experience with Skedda.
