Effective and Innovative Practices

APPA’s Effective & Innovative Practices Award recognizes programs and processes that enhance service delivery, lower costs, increase productivity, improve customer service, generate revenue, or otherwise benefit the educational institution. Award nomination entries must describe either a new program or significant restructuring of an existing program or process. Recipients will receive special recognition on both APPA’s website and in APPA’s Facilities Manager magazine.

Criteria

Projects displaying a high level of innovation and adaptability/transferability for implementation at other schools have the best chance of being favorably ranked. Up to 3 submissions are selected per group. Groups include:

• 4 year, public institutions or private institutions
• Community College
• K-12

Entries are judged on a point system based on:

• Institutional Benefit (100 pts)
  • Describe how the initiative directly benefits the institution and its constituents. Provide the extent of the benefit and documented results and outcomes. The results must be factual and supported by data.
• Innovativeness, Creativity, and Originality (300 pts)
  • Describe in detail the level of innovation and creativity involved with the initiative. Describe how this initiative is unique and original and what differentiates it from other similar efforts. Document the efforts to benchmark and determine the originality of the concept.
• Portability and Resiliency (300 pts)
  • To be worthy of recognition the initiative must be portable to other institutions without drastic alterations or cost. It should be easy to implement without extensive customization.
• Management Commitment and Employee Involvement (150 pts)
  • Describe the level of management commitment and the alignment with institutional goals. Provide information on the involvement of stakeholder groups and the participation of employees at all levels of the organization.
• Documentation, Analysis, Customer Input, and Benchmarking (150 pts)
  • Information analysis is used to evaluate performance and drive future performance improvements. Of interest are the types of tools used (peer comparative data such as benchmarking) and how the tools are used to enhance the success of the effective practice. Documentation should be factual, clear, logical, and well-developed. The analysis must be clear and well-documented. Customer and stakeholder involvement would be described for each step of development and implementation. Benchmarks should establish experiences for others and help to define the originality of the practice.

Past Recipients

2021

• California State University East Bay (Facilities Development and Operations [FD&O] Partners/Ambassadors)

2020

• Oklahoma State University (Culture of Collaboration for Student Success)
• University of Nebraska at Kearney (3D Printing: Rethinking Inventory Management)
• University of Massachusetts Lowell (U Mass Lowell’s Campus Viewer)
• University of Virginia (Recognizing UVA’s Silent ‘Ambassador’)
• Purdue University (Light Level Meter)

2018

• Brown University (Preventive Maintenance Program Journey)
• Georgia Institute of Technology (Smart Restroom Technology)
• University of Iowa (Fault Detection and Diagnostics Program)
• The Ohio State University (Employee Video Archive)
• Santa Clara University (Asbestos Documentation)

2017

• University of British Columbia (UBC Wifi)
• Penn State University (APPA Credentialing Cohort Program)
• The University of Texas at San Antonio (The Development and Use of Portable Variable Frequency Drives (VFD’s))
• Grand Valley State University (Electric Solar Panel Array Garden)
• Oklahoma State University (The Next Level Project)

2016

• Emory University (The WaterHub at Emory University)
• Michigan State University (Infrastructure Planning and Facilities Emergency Response and Business Continuity Program)
• University of Alabama (The University of Alabama Pest Management Operations)
• University of Colorado Boulder (University of Colorado Boulder Facilities Management Mentor Program)
• University of Texas Austin (Implementing an Interactive Campus-Wide Office Cleaning Schedule)

2015

• Western Michigan University (Building Information Modeling for Skilled Trades)
• University of California San Francisco (Promoting Water Conservation in Research Laboratories)
• University of Texas Austin (Surplus Property Retail Store or S.M.A.R.T. Store – Surplus Management Asset Recovery Team Store)
• University of Colorado Boulder (Labor, Trades, and Crafts Trainee Program)

2014

• California State University San Bernardino (Most-Open Valve Heating & Cooling Strategy in Design and Practice Attachment 2)
• Saint Louis University (Strategic Planning and Culture Change Practice, Improving Waste Management, and In-House Construction Program) 
  
• University of Pennsylvania (Innovation using Lean Processes at the University of Pennsylvania’s O&M Department)
• University of California Berkeley (Providing Financial Incentives to Promote Energy Conservation by Building Occupants)
• Xavier University of Louisiana (Pervious Pavement and Solar PV Panel Parking Lots: Storm Water Management and an Alternative Energy Resource)

2013

• Carleton University (Rating The Sustainability Of Campus Facilities Management: A Foundation For Action Using ESAT)
• North Carolina State University (NC State Facilities Management Feedback & Coaching Initiative)
• Seattle University (Professionals Without Borders (PWOB))
• Stanford University (Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI))
• University of California/Irvine (UC Irvine Field Laboratory For Energy Studies)

2012

• Purdue University (Warehouse and Surplus Sustainability Program)
• University of Iowa (The University of Iowa Energy Control Center)
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Removing/Reducing the Size of the Bin has Created Less Trash, More Recycling, Efficient Housekeeping and a “Greener” UNC Charlotte Campus)
• University of Texas at Austin (Warm Up Program for Custodial Services)
• Western Michigan University (Steam Trap Management Program)

2011

• Georgia Institute of Technology (SMART Measurement & Verification Process)
• Medaille College (The Medaille 100)
• Purdue University (Brine/Beet Juice Application System and Brine/Beet Juice Application System II)
• San Diego Community College District (Lean Enterprise Processes in Facilities Management)
• University of California Irvine (Smart Labs Program)

2010

• California State University Northridge (Student Design Team Program)
• Purdue University (Building Services Sustainability Program)
• University of Iowa (University of Iowa Energy Hawks)
• University of North Carolina Charlotte (Take It or Leave It Tour)
• University of Southern California (Maintenance Parts and Materials Process Reengineering Case Study)
  

2009

• University of North Texas (Guarantee Contract Pricing)
• University of Texas Austin (Employee Recognition SITES Award)
• Weber State University (Safety Training Game)
• Western Michigan University (Western Michigan University)
• Valparaiso University (Natural Gas and Med Voltage Distribution Systems) 
  

2008

• Montana State University (Facilities Condition Index)
• San Francisco State University (Accessible Landscape)
• Union College (Excellence Program)
• University of Missouri (Inspection by Trades Program)
• West Virginia University (WVU Environmental Conservation Awareness Now (WE CAN))

2007

• Arizona State University (Goals Tracking Application)
• Grand Valley State University (Quality Improvement Initiative)
• University of California Davis (Olive Oil)
• University of Iowa (Route 66 Safety Program)
• University of North Carolina Charlotte (Construction and Demolition Waste Management Program)

2006

• Brown University (Safety Fair)
• Bryn Mawr College (An Innovative and Collaborative Approach to Storm Water Management)
• California State University San Bernardino (Comprehensive Energy Services Master Enabling Agreement)
• Georgia Institute of Technology (Building Services Customer Achievement Program Award)
• University of British Columbia (In-Vessel Composting Facility and Organics Collection Program)

2005

• University of British Columbia UBC Campus Sustainability Office Sustainability Coordinator Program)
• University of Hartford (Resident Facility Assistant)
• University of Iowa (Biomass Fuel Project)
• University of Miami (How the University of Miami’s Facilities Administration Department Uses Customized Financial Reports to Manage Costs)
• University of Victoria (Water Reuse Initiative)

2004

• Brigham Young University (Capital Needs Analysis)
• Dallas Theological Seminary (An Army of One: Multi-Department Development of Custodial Services Training Video)
• Illinois State University (A Town and Gown Effort That Turns Bulk, Wood Waste Into Savings)
• Penn State University (Trash to Treasure)
• Queensland University of Technology (Facilities Condition Audit)