ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan was awarded APPA’s highest institutional honor” the Award for Excellence” for its commitment to excellence in the field of educational facilities. APPA is a professional association of facilities, or physical plant, administrators.

Rich Robben, executive director of plant operations, accepted the award on behalf of U-M during APPA’s awards banquet at the Campus of the Future conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.

“It is a privilege to receive this recognition that honors the best-of-the-best in facilities operations,” Robben said. “We pride ourselves in our ability to support the facility and operations needs of this world class educational, research and public service institution. “

According to Jack Colby, APPA president and assistant vice chancellor for facilities operations at North Carolina State University, U-M’s plant operations department exemplifies excellence in all of the areas necessary to achieve the award: leadership; strategic and operational planning; customer focus; information and analysis; development and management of human resources; process management; and performance results.

“The data collection and monitoring done by the University of Michigan’s plant operations department is impressive,” Colby said. “The campus is impressive in both its exterior and interior spaces, and their communication and training programs are unique and top quality.

“University of Michigan’s plant operations department enjoys a significant role planning in concert with upper levels of the university administration. The department’s views on energy and maintenance issues are strongly supported by upper management in policy and project decisions, which speaks to the quality of the program and the cohesiveness of the school’s strategic approach,” Colby said.

The Ann Arbor campus occupies 1,127 University buildings, including leased and rental properties, totaling more than 30 million square feet. The plant operations department employs 1,280 people.

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 APPA’s highest institutional honor and provides educational institutions the opportunity for national and international recognition for their outstanding achievements in facilities management. The award is designed to highlight the essential role of facilities operations in the overall institutional mission and vision.

APPA serves educational facilities professionals, representing more than 1,500 learning institutions encompassing over 4,700 individuals throughout the United States, Canada, and internationally.

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