Press Release
September 20, 2021, Alexandria VA – APPA is pleased to announce that the University of Chicago received the 2021 Award for Excellence in Facilities Management.
The Award for Excellence, which highlights the essential role of facilities operations in the overall institutional mission and vision, is APPA's highest institutional honor. Recipient institutions gain national and international recognition for their outstanding achievements in facilities management. The Award for Excellence designation is valid for a period of five years.
Recipient institutions were recognized during the 2021 APPA Annual Conference – Virtual Facilities Summit.
“The institutions that receive the Award for Excellence are revolutionizing educational facilities management,” said Lander Medlin, APPA’s President & CEO. “The University of Chicago Facilities Services team has worked together to transform the department into a client-focused organization that maximizes the value of the resources provided. Their three-year effort focused on the transformation of FS through employee engagement, client engagement, data-driven decision making, and the application of Total Cost of Ownership principles; it has resulted in improvements of campus buildings and grounds and increased dedication and pride within the FS team.”
The APPA Award for Excellence is designed to recognize and advance excellence in the field of educational facilities. Award for Excellence nominations are in the areas of: leadership; strategic and operational planning; customer focus; information and analysis; development and management of human resources; process management; and performance results. Nominated institutions also submit to a site review conducted by a facilities management evaluation team; qualifying institutions are officially recognized by the APPA Board of Directors.
California State University San Marcos also was recognized with the Award for Excellence this year.
APPA, previously known as the Association of Physical Plant Administrators, promotes leadership in educational facilities for professionals seeking to build their careers, transform their institutions, and elevate the value and recognition of facilities in education. APPA is the association of choice for more than 18,000 educational facilities professionals from 1,300 educational institutions in North America and internationally. APPA is recognized as an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer. www.appa.org