Message from Assistant Vice President

West Virginia University continues on its path of growth and expansion, both in terms of student enrollment numbers and in its physical composition. Every August, a new enrollment record is set, and construction and/or renovation is always ongoing on either the Downtown or the Evansdale campus. Three landmarks on the Downtown Campus—Brooks, Colson, and Oglebay Halls—are now complete, with refurbished interiors and state-of-the-art technology, while retaining their architectural grace and historic beauty on the exterior. The Downtown Infrastructure Phase II project is ongoing, which will provide updated utility service delivery to the Downtown Campus, and includes a five-story addition to the Chemistry Research Laboratory. A four-story addition that incorporates laboratories, offices, and a large lecture hall is under construction at the Engineering Sciences Building. The next phase of capital construction will consist of the total renovation of White Hall, a new Physical Education Building on the grounds of St. Francis, and a new student housing facility on the Downtown Campus. This growth is not limited to the main WVU campus—expansion and enhancement of the physical facilities is ongoing at the regional campuses as well. Potomac State recently completed a new student residence hall and significantly enhanced its library; a new state fire training academy is just being completed at Jackson’s Mill; and WVU Tech recently completed major renovations to both its Maclin Hall and Tech Center.

While growth in the physical sense is both tangible and measurable, sometimes growth occurs that is not so obvious to the eye. Growth is defined as “an increase in some quantity over time.” Aside from the physical, growth can be abstract, referring to heightened performance or enhanced levels of professionalism, both of which are goals to which Facilities Management aspires. Continuous improvement is growth. The only difference between continued growth and continuous improvement lies in the fact that the first can easily be measured, while the latter requires more specialized tools to perform the measurement. Continuous improvement has become the mantra of Facilities Management, and a framework has been laid that will allow for both benchmarking and measuring progress on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Using a performance measurement tool called the Balanced Score Card, each manager is developing his or her own professional objectives for the coming year. Once those objectives have been identified, the business principle known as Sig Sigma will be introduced as a means to measure improvement in both our people and our processes. Learning and growth is one of the four quadrants in the Balanced Score Card process, and Facilities Management is putting increased emphasis on training and professional development. Better-qualified employees and improved processes translate into heightened customer satisfaction. Through customer service initiatives such as Zone Maintenance and the iService Desk electronic work order system, our customer service satisfaction index is up three percent over that of last year.

In addition to the concepts mentioned above, the definition of growth covers programs as well. The Apprenticeship Program, now in its second year, requires participants to complete classroom instruction along with on-the-job training over a four-year period before they graduate into their chosen maintenance field. This program represents the finest example of a proactive approach to training and development that I know. By investing in a select group of individuals every year, we then reap the benefits of a highly trained staff that possesses the knowledge and skills that WVU needs to continue along its path of growth and improvement. Facilities Management has grown a sustainability program through campus-wide recycling, the Blue & Gold Mine Sale, Mountaineers Recycle, and its award-winning WE CAN Environmental Conservation Awareness Now initiative.

While Facilities Management continues to respond to the outward physical growth of WVU, it is growing itself internally in ways that are less visible, yet just as profound. Facilities Management’s mission statement says that we will continue improving our people, our processes, and our services in support of the overall mission of WVU. This statement is seminal to our existence as a unit, for it states, with clarity and simplicity, the path we must follow in our relentless pursuit of growth and improvement.