PurposeTo apply the concepts of lean and sustainability to higher education.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was developed, administered to 18 public and private universities and analyzed.FindingsThe focus in higher education is now on cost reduction or budget containment initiatives. Although these initiatives were not implemented with the knowledge that they were implementing “lean” practices, their application has often reduced waste, improved operational efficiency, and contributed to sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a preliminary study with a sample size of 18 universities in the northeastern United States. Future research should include more universities in the United States as well as in other countries.Practical implicationsThe participating universities in this study shared their beliefs about how “lean” thinking can contribute to the sustainability of higher education. Other universities can “learn from their lessons”.Originality/valueVery little past research, except in the area of green marketing, has focused on lean sustainability concepts in higher education.

The airport flight-to-gate assignment problem is solved using two methods: (1) a linear programming relaxation of an integer program formulation and (2) a heuristic. The objective is to minimize passenger walking distances within the airport terminal area through a judicious gate assignment policy. An actual flight schedule for an average day at Toronto International Airport is used to compare existing walking distances, obtained from the original assignment, with results from the two methods. The results indicated that the original assignment had a 32% higher average per passenger walking distance than the minimum possible distance given by the LP solution. The heuristic’s performance was near optimal; it gave an average walking distance which was only 3.9% greater than the minimum. Computation times for the heuristic are 3.4 CPU seconds per run, while the linear program consumes 386 seconds per run on an IBM 370/168. In addition, if the heuristic is solved first and its solution is used as an initial feasible basis for the LP relaxation of the IP, the total CPU used to obtain optimality is reduced to 42 seconds.

PurposeBecause of the ever‐expanding commercialization and marketing of higher education, a need now exists to apply the concepts of business process improvement to colleges and universities. Aims to explore this issue.Design/methodology/approachAn open‐ended qualitative questionnaire was developed, administered to 18 public and private university representatives and analyzed.FindingsThe participants at these surveyed universities shared with the interviewers the institutional lean “best practices” that they feel will contribute to the sustainability of their universities.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a preliminary study with a sample size of 18 universities in the Northeastern USA. Future research should include more universities in the USA, as well as in other countries.Practical implicationsOther institutions of higher education may learn from the successful implementation of the lean sustainability efforts at the institutions in this study.Originality/valueVery little past research, except in the area of green marketing, has focused on lean sustainability concepts in higher education. In a recent article by the same authors, a quantitative approach was taken in assessing lean sustainability practices in higher education. This current study explores the application of lean sustainability practices using a more in‐depth qualitative approach.

The “lean manufacturing” paradigm, which is a philosophy intended to reduce cost and cycle time significantly throughout the entire value chain while continuing to improve product performance, was first identified by researchers associated with the international motor vehicle industry. In much the same way, the application of lean thinking and cost reduction strategies is becoming evident on college and university campuses. For example, the design of coursework is becoming more standardized and contracted out to part‐time instructors. The implementation of complex lean initiatives is critical for quality improvement and the sustainability of colleges and universities. However, the strategy for achieving sustainability is not clear to many decision‐makers. The intent of this paper is to provide a paradigm of how a lean sustainability initiative could be developed and implemented by colleges and universities. The research for this paper is based on a review of lean principles and practices and site visits to firms in the USA possessing best practices for long‐term sustainment.