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Facilities Strategy Teams Now Forming
Team Members Wanted: Electrical Equipment, Supplies and Services; MRO Equipment, Supplies and Services; Building Automation and Fire Alarms Equipment, Supplies and Services; Security Equipment, Supplies and Services

A recent survey conducted jointly by APPA and E&I Cooperative Purchasing in November and December of 2008 on priorities for campus facilities revealed that locks and security are top concerns. It’s not surprising; physical security for everyone on campus is of critical importance.  However, in the current economic recession, there’s another kind of protection that’s just as important for higher education: financial security.  Effective facilities contracts management is crucial to acheiving this.

As a result of the survey , RFP (request for proposals) teams are being formed to prepare and review RFPs for specific commodity areas.  Team members are nominated, recommended, or volunteer to serve on a team, and are familiar (or have experience in) the commodity for the services, goods, or both. Team members have specific duties and responsibilities to the team, organization, and to their institutions. The team member should receive approval from their supervisor to participate on the team to assure management approval of time and effort.

APPA is currently searching for team members for its Electrical Equipment, Supplies and Services; MRO Equipment, Supplies and Services; Building Automation and Fire Alarms Equipment, Supplies and Services; Security Equipment, Supplies and Services RFPs.  It’s a great professional development opportunity.  The only cost to you is your time!  Read about the RFP Team description and responsibilities and view the RFP team schedule for 2009. Anyone interested in taking part in one or more of these RFP projects should contact APPA Executive Vice President E. Lander Medlin.

APPA Joins Coalition of Education Associations in Submitting Higher Education Infrastructure Stimulus Proposal to U.S. Congress

January 5, 2009, Alexandria, VA - APPA announced it has joined a coalition of leading education associations to propose, to the U.S. Congress, a series of federal investments for student aid and campus infrastructure as part of the economic stimulus package.

The proposal calls for the Creation of Higher Education Infrastructure Block Grants (HEIBG) to support campus projects that provide jobs now and strengthen the academic capacity of colleges and universities. The grants would be available for “shovel ready” projects capable of starting within 180 days.  HEIBG funds would be distributed by state governors and would support “ready-to-go” construction projects to repair, renovate or construct academic facilities. The funds would be distributed to each state using a formula based equally on full-time higher education enrollment in the state and the state’s population. Institutions would be required to begin work on funded projects within 90 days of receipt of funds.

The proposal calls for state governors to give priority to (a) sustainability projects, energy efficient buildings or other “green building” initiatives, and (b) projects reflecting state or regional economic priorities. 

The coalition totals 30 higher education associations, including APPA and the following:

ACPA - College Student Educators International
ACT, Inc.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
American Association of Community Colleges
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
American Association of University Professors
American Council on Education

American Dental Education Association
American Indian Higher Education Consortium
Association of American Universities
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR)
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Council of Graduate Schools
Council of Independent Colleges
EDUCAUSE
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
National Association for College Admission Counseling
National Association of College and University Business Officers
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
NASULGC, A Public University Association
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
UNCF
Women's College Coalition

A full copy of the Higher Education stimulus proposal is available at: http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=30395

Opportunity to Enhance Your Career and Serve Your Country

Join leading industry experts around the country to help improve the performance of US organizations.  Every year, the Baldrige Program recruits the best in business, education, healthcare and nonprofits to serve as members of the Board of Examiners. 

The success of the Baldrige National Quality Program depends on our volunteer Examiners.  As a Baldrige Examiner you will:

• Evaluate Baldrige Award applicants using the Criteria for Performance Excellence
• Use your expertise to improve US competitiveness
• Earn professional development CEUs (accredited by IACET)
• Network with other senior-level professionals from all sectors
• Learn how organizations improve processes and get world-class results
• Attend the invitation-only annual Baldrige Award Ceremony with the President of the United States

Learn why more than 500 senior professionals serve as Examiners each year:
http://www.baldrige.nist.gov/Video/Baldrige_Examiners/Examiner.html

Apply by January 6, 2009: http://www.baldrige.nist.gov/Examiner_Application.htm

For assistance, contact the Examiner Application Help Center at 877-237-9064 or examappl@nist.gov.

About the Baldrige National Quality Program
Created by Congress in 1987, the Baldrige Program educates organizations in performance excellence management and administers the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.  Call 301-975-2036 for more information about The Baldrige Program.

Webinar: APPA's Custodial Standards and LEED-EB CertificationEE

On Tuesday, August 12, 2008, APPA presented a free webinar on LEED certification. Sponsored by Unicco and presented by Steve Ashkin, President of The Ashkin Group, LLC and Kirk Campbell, Director of Custodial Services, Carleton College. Steve Ashkin has been a leader in the effort to green the cleaning and maintenance industry for 15 years. Campbell authored a chapter on Custodial Services in APPA's Facilities Management: A Manual for Plant Administration, third editition. Most recently, he authored a feature on green and sustainable custodial operations in the May/June 2008 issue of the Facilities Manager Magazine.

Every educational institution is unique; no two campuses are the same in construction or environment.  Maintenance standards and staffing levels for individual facilities can be significantly affected by such factors as:

• traffic density
  
• frequency of use
  
• age
  
• material used in construction
  
• level of vandalism
  
• climatic conditions
  
• location of custodial space
  
• organization and training of staff
  
• the material and equipment available for maintenance

To help facilities managers assess and plan for more efficient and effective use of their custodial resources, APPA developed its Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities. Now in its second edition, the Guidelines continue to provide guidance to facility professionals in the area of custodial maintenance and staffing. The Guidelines cover "the five levels of clean" and include information on such specialized facilities areas as dormitories, health care facilities, and more.

Recently the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) revised its LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) standard to make green cleaning a prerequisite. Now all buildings seeking LEED-EB certification must have a green cleaning policy. As an incentive, educational institutions can earn up to two LEED points for using APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines to illustrate buildings that have superior cleaning programs. 

This webinar covered lessons learned, using the Custodial Guidelines, and earning LEED-EB status.

Improve Your Custodial Operations with the Touch of a Button

Long the standard for APPA members seeking excellence in their cleaning operations, APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities, second edition is now the recognized resource for cleanliness in education. In fact, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) now offers LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) credits for those institutions conducting an audit of their facilities using APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines.

And now it's easier than ever to implement APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines using CleanOpsStaff software, a Web-downloadable application allowing you to run calculations on your cleanliness data without pushing a pencil!

CleanOpsStaff:

• Provides a computer-assisted audit/assessment tool to determine what level of cleanliness you are actually achieving
• Helps you justify the budget resources (FTEs and cost) you need to meet cleanliness levels for both new and existing buildings
• Helps you balance FTE assignments to individual buildings or zones on your campus
• Helps you reduce the cost of your operation through reports that illustrate custodial resources by building and by room or space

Buy the Custodial Staffing Guidelines and CleanOpsStaff package today and start improving your institutions' operations tomorrow! CleanOpsStaff is offered exclusively to those purchasing APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines through an agreement between APPA and Hunter Consulting and Training.
APPA members: $350 for the book/software package
Nonmember: $440 for the book/software package

Want to test-drive before you buy?
Download the demo version now and begin your test drive with your data today.  Hunter Consulting and Training is offering free one-hour on-line training sessions for those interested in CleanOpsStaff.Register for a session now. The first session is scheduled for July 30 (no purchase required to register for a free training session). Full list of features, tools and more information. PDF ofCleanOpsStaff presentation.

Webinar: Reducing Greenhouse Gases & Achieving Climate Neutrality

On Wednesday, June 18 APPA presented the first in a series of free webinars on the topic of sustainability. Sponsored by Haley&Aldrich and presented by Walter Simpson, editor of APPA's publication entitled The Green Campus: Meeting the Challenge of Environmental Sustainability, the webinar explored the organizational ingredients necessary for building a successful campus energy program, emphasizing energy conservation, green building design, green power purchasing, and renewable energy generation -- strategies central to any campus effort designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or achieve climate neutrality. Other topics covered included energy policies, green computing, energy awareness, working with ESCOs, obtaining top level support, the key role of facilities managers, and developing climate action plans. Lessons learned from the University at Buffalo's nationally recognized successful campus energy program were also shared.

For those who were not able to sit in on the webinar live, or if you wish to see it again, a recording can be viewed here. A PDF of the slides is also available for download through the recording's player console. If you already registered for the webinar, simply enter your email address to view the recording. If not, you will need to register to view the event.

Study Shows School Cleanliness Affects Learning

A recent national study of college students determined there is a correlation between the cleanliness of a school’s facilities and students’ academic achievement. Entitled Cleanliness and Learning in Higher Education, the study was based around the five levels of clean identified in APPA’s Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities.  

The study was conducted through the Center for Facilities Research (CFaR) at APPA – the association promoting leadership in educational facilities – and co-sponsored ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association. The researchers on the project were Jeffery L. Campbell, Ph.D., chair of the Facilities Management Program at Brigham Young University and Alan S. Bigger, APPA’s president and director of facilities at Earlham College.

Of the 1481 students polled, 88 percent reported that the lack of cleanliness becomes a distraction at APPA Level 3 (Casual Inattention) and Level 4 (Moderate Dinginess). Eighty-four percent reported that they desire APPA Level 1 (Orderly Spotlessness) or Level 2 (Ordinary Tidiness) standard of cleanliness to create a good learning environment. Eighty percent of the students surveyed reported that they should be involved in keeping campus buildings clean. Seventy-eight percent reported that cleanliness has an impact on their health. Learn more about the study.  

The final report is available free to APPA members and for $30 for nonmembers through the APPA bookstore and free to ISSA members through the Member Lounge at www.ISSA.com and for $30 by request to nonmembers.

NPR Broadcast Focuses on Sustainability and Buildings...The Gifts that Keep on Taking

Terry Ruprecht, Director of Energy Conservation, Associate Provost and Vice Chancellor-Academic Affairs-Facilities & Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and one of the primary investigators behind APPA's publication Buildings...The Gifts that Keep on Taking, recently did an interview on NPR.

The live talk show, which focused on the relationship between deferred capital renewal and energy-inefficient systems was broadcast to all of Illinois and Indiana, as well as parts of Wisconsin and Iowa, can be heard here. (Scroll down to the June 2, 10:00 am show).

Deferred Maintenance the Topic of Chronicle Article

Read an article written by Scott Carlson for the Chronicle of Higher Education about the state of deferred maintenance in the U.S. The article features information and quotes from several APPA members and a mention of APPA's study and publication: Buildings...The Gifts That Keep on Taking.

Earn LEED Points with APPA Custodial Staffing Guidelines

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently revised its LEED-EB standard to make green cleaning a prerequisite. Now all buildings seeking LEED-EB certification must have a green cleaning policy.

As an incentive, education institutions can earn up to two LEED points for using APPA's Custodial Staffing Guidelines, which will reward buildings that have superior cleaning programs. The APPA guidelines cover "the five levels of clean" and include information on such specialized facilities areas as dormitories, health care facilities, and more. Thirty-three room categories in all are covered by the APPA staffing guidelines.

LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance Rating System (LEED-EB) can help K-12 and higher educational institutions reduce its energy consumption, water consumption and solid-waste disposal—all of which save money. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/leed/eb.

These new officers will be inducted at the APPA 2008 conference in San Antonio, Texas in July. Thank you to all who voted.

APPA Forwards Environmental Sustainability with New Publications

APPA recently published two books on environmental sustainability and green practices. This is a hot topic, as administrators on college and university campuses earnestly seek to reduce their campuses’ carbon footprint and enhance environmental stewardship in effective and financially efficient ways.

The anthology, The Green Campus: Meeting the Challenge of Environmental Sustainability, explores the meaning of genuine environmental sustainability—in global and local terms—while profiling excellent campus environmental programs. Editor Walter Simpson—a 25-year veteran of green campus advocacy—includes essays from top campus environment leaders and advocates, addressing various opportunities for campus greening and offering guidance and inspiration to those who promote sustainability within institutions of higher education. View the table of contents and read the introduction to The Green Campus. Read the review by Scott Carlson of the Chronicle for Higher Education.

The second edition of the Environmental Compliance Assistance Guide for Colleges and Universities, updates the key environmental rules and regulations affecting the physical surroundings of educational institutions. Published in partnership with the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Manage­ment Association (CSHEMA), this comprehensive guide includes abstracts of 32 programs derived from eight environmental statutes that have been the focus of EPA inspections on college campuses in recent years. The guide also provides elements of an effective program for environmental management and compliance; a regulatory and campus programs matrix; and legislative/regulatory program summaries for the Clean Air and Clean Water acts, CERCLA, EPCRA, FIFRA, RCRA, and more. View the table of contents and read the introduction to the Environmental Compliance Assistance Guide.

Education Associations Launch Campus Environmental Resource Center

An online environmental resource center, “CampusERC,” was launched by several higher education associations including APPA.

Accessible at www.campuserc.org, the site is designed as a multifaceted library of resources for college and university environmental officers to keep up with the latest news and information on environmental issues, study best practices in environmental management, view case studies, and better understand what institutions must do to comply with environmental regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Current news about environmental events and programs related to higher education is featured on the home page of CampusERC to keep it timely and relevant to campus environmental professionals and administrators. In addition, the site hosts a campus tour organized around nine typical areas on a campus that are subject to environmental regulations, and an updated compliance guide that assists colleges and universities in meeting the basic requirements of environmental regulations. The site also showcases model practices from colleges and universities that are often the best resource for achieving a strong environmental program.

CampusERC was developed by and in partnership with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA), the Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence (C2E2) and APPA. The EPA provided funding for CampusERC and many of the resources on the comprehensive site.