UF's Physical Plant Division wins distinctive honor for maintenance

August 11, 2005

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida’s Physical Plant Division did something that only 30 other universities have ever done – it was recognized with the APPA Award of Excellence in Facilities Maintenance on Saturday.

APPA, the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, is an international organization of physical plant administrators dedicated to the maintenance, protection and promotion of quality educational facilities. The Award of Excellence is the highest award given by APPA and recognizes outstanding achievement in seven performance areas – leadership, strategic and operational planning, customer satisfaction, information and analysis, development and management of human resources, process management and performance results.

To receive the award, a university must document the processes and service orientation that make it a top-tier organization in an extensive written application. The application is followed by a site visit from members of APPA’s Professional Affairs Committee. Greg Fichter, assistant director of building services at Indiana University Bloomington and a member of the Professional Affairs Committee, said, “It takes quite a bit of energy and effort for a university to reach a level where you would even consider sending in an application. This is a very prestigious award, and UF’s Physical Plant should be very proud to be selected as a recipient.”

According to Dave O’Brien, Physical Plant Division director at the University of Florida, the award is a “culmination of the hard work our employees do every day. UF is one of the five largest universities in the country and the campus is one of the most beautiful. It’s gratifying to be recognized by our peers for the care we give our facilities.”

O’Brien and members of the committee who developed and submitted the application were in Orlando to accept the award at APPA’s annual conference.