USU Facilities Receives National Award for Excellence

Utah State University’s facilities organization received the Award for Excellence in Facilities Management from APPA (formerly the Association of Physical Plant Administrators). The award is the highest institutional honor bestowed by APPA, the association that serves educational facilities professionals in the United States.

According to APPA President Chris Ahoy, associate vice president for facilities at Iowa State University, the Utah State facilities organization exemplifies excellence in all of the criteria evaluated by the judges: leadership, strategic and operational planning, customer focus, information and analysis, development and management of human resources, process management and performance results.

 

“Utah State University has an exceptional campus, not only in terms of its buildings and grounds, but inclusive of the entire staff of the facilities organization,” Ahoy said. “Utah State University’s facilities organization is committed to continuous improvement, outstanding customer service, individual and organizational development and the use of core values to run its daily operation.”

 

The APPA Award for Excellence is designed to recognize and advance excellence in the field of educational facilities. Originally established in 1988, the Award for Excellence is designed to highlight the essential role of facilities operations in the overall institutional mission and vision.

 

“This award provides a quality marker that underscores the commitment of our facilities staff and administration,” said Darrell Hart, associate vice president for facilities at USU. “It is an honor to be selected for this national award. It is evidence that we are focusing on issues most important to the university and serving the needs of the campus community and the state.”

 

The APPA criteria for the award were designed to provide a systems perspective for facilities management, Ahoy said. The successful award applicants were those who demonstrated the ability to look at the organization as a whole and concentrate on key issues with the goal of improving overall performance and customer satisfaction.

 

This year’s other Award for Excellence recipients are North Carolina State University, University of California, San Bernardino, Harrisburg Area Community College and University of Central Oklahoma.

 

Award for Excellent recipients in recent years include University of Michigan, University of Florida, Iowa State University and University of Maryland.

 

Contact: Darrell Hart, 435-797-1952, darrell.hart@usu.edu