A Culture of Care and Innovation

Emory University’s Facilities Team is Setting a New Standard

There is a lot expected of a modern university campus. They are hubs for research, innovation, and, often, very formative years of people’s lives. If you asked the facilities team at Emory University, they would tell you that the key to a modern university campus is focusing on people and strategy and having a shared commitment to continuous improvement. That ethos has led to a facilities program that stands out nationally. Emory University was recently given the Award for Excellence in Facilities Management at APPA’s spring conference, recognizing the vital role that Emory’s facilities team plays in the university’s mission and vision.

An Analysis-Based Approach

Emory University has always had the core ingredients of a strong facilities program: a capable team, good infrastructure, and clear institutional support. These added up to a beautiful, well-managed, and welcoming environment, no small feat for a team with a campus spanning more than 10 million square feet. But, for a university that has turned out Prime Ministers, Nobel Laureates, and Rhodes Scholars, among many other accomplished alumni, they weren’t ready to settle for just great. Something was missing.  

Leadership began asking pointed questions about how facilities services were impacting their on-campus customers—the students, faculty, and staff who live and work in campus buildings every day. Rather than simply tracking technical performance data, the team started measuring the quality of their experience: Were occupants comfortable? Were their concerns heard? Were issues resolved quickly?

When Justin Thomas, currently the energy manager at Emory, arrived on campus in 2018, the school was beginning to ask these questions. During his first few years, he witnessed Emory’s facilities program undergo what he called a “culture shift.” A new approach emerged from the process of pushing past great and striving for excellence.

That cultural shift has had a major impact. The team now prioritizes communication, service responsiveness, and empathy while continuing to invest in high-performance buildings and systems. The result is a customer-focused approach that doesn’t compromise operational excellence.

Investing in People-First Infrastructure Across the Board

Much of the credit for Emory’s success belongs to the teams working behind the scenes. With over 800 people in the campus services group, the university has built a workforce that spans trades, technicians, engineers, custodial staff, and administrative leadership. And these team members don’t go unnoticed. Leadership is quick to point out that their efforts, particularly those in manual labor roles, are the backbone of the institution’s facilities’ strength.

Justin’s role requires him to regularly coordinate cross-functional collaboration across departments. His position affords him both the autonomy to consider the big picture and lead strategic initiatives, and gives him the proximity to frontline teams, enabling him to understand the real-time challenges they face in implementing those initiatives on the ground.

One of the secrets to keeping those frontline teams ready is Emory’s focus on maintaining employee well-being while pursuing innovation. That means hiring outside support when needed, rather than overburdening staff, and involving team members in the planning process, so they feel invested in the outcomes.

“Excellence isn’t about asking more from people without giving them support,” Justin said. “It’s about giving them the tools, the time, and the recognition to do great work.”

Building a Smart, Sustainable Campus for the Future

As Emory looks to the future, its facilities team is setting its sights on becoming a smart campus. The vision involves greater automation, more data integration, and real-time system responsiveness. These goals, while ambitious, are necessary in a competitive higher education environment that is vying for the best researchers, professors, staff, and students.

Imagine a campus where a faculty member’s arrival triggers subtle environmental adjustments: lights rise, air systems activate, and temperature stabilizes, all before they enter the building. This isn’t science fiction; it’s Emory’s long-term strategic objective. The facilities team is researching new technology as well as identifying ways to best utilize current software to move towards this vision.

Technology is just one part of the equation. Emory’s leadership understands that the built environment plays a critical role in recruitment, research, and retention. Faculty and researchers want to work in spaces that are comfortable, functional, and supportive of their needs. Students want to take pride in their campus. And staff need environments that are manageable and sustainable.

Summer is the best time for college campuses to undertake major projects, but it is also when facilities teams accomplish the little things: replacing the tile in a dorm bathroom, repainting walls, replacing carpet, etc. Projects like these, often invisible to the outside world, are crucial to maintaining Emory’s vibrancy. And they wouldn’t happen without the excellent facilities team.