Facilities Department Receives National Award for Excellence

The CSUSM Facilities Development and Management team is pictured in this video capture on the bridge leading to the Extended Learning building.

The Cal State San Marcos Facilities Development and Management department has received the highest recognition for excellence from a national organization.

FDM was honored last month with the 2021 Award for Excellence in Facilities Management from APPA, previously known as the Association of Physical Plant Administrators. The award, which highlights the essential role of facilities operations in the overall institutional mission and vision, is APPA's highest institutional honor.

Recipient institutions gain national and international recognition for their outstanding achievements in facilities management. The Award for Excellence designation is valid for a period of five years.

FDM was recognized during the APPA’s annual conference, which took place virtually this year.

“The institutions that receive the Award for Excellence are revolutionizing educational facilities management,” said Lander Medlin, APPA’s president and CEO. “CSUSM Facilities Development and Management has built a strong team that drives for excellence in everything they do.”

As an example, CSUSM’s creative collaboration with local developers resulted in its Extended Learning building, the first public-private academic building in California.

“Our success is fueled by the team we have built – their focus on continued improvement, collaboration, teamwork and supporting the campus community,” said Mark Norita, associate vice president of FDM.

The APPA Award for Excellence is designed to recognize and advance excellence in the field of educational facilities. Nominations are in the areas of leadership; strategic and operational planning; customer focus; information and analysis; development and management of human resources; process management; and performance results. Nominated institutions submit to a site review conducted by a facilities management evaluation team; qualifying institutions are officially recognized by the APPA Board of Directors.

The University of Chicago also was recognized with the Award for Excellence this year.

APPA, based in Alexandria, Va., represents more than 18,000 educational facilities professionals from over 1,300 learning institutions worldwide.