Each year, APPA recognizes individual and institutional excellence and achievement throughout educational facilities with its awards and recognition program. As we begin 2025, it is time to recognize those who have earned individual and institutional recognition by APPA during this transitional year of 2024.
Each year, APPA recognizes individual and institutional excellence and achievement throughout educational facilities with its awards and recognition program. The mission of the APPA Awards Program is to:
- Identify and encourage individual and institutional excellence in facilities management.
- Encourage and promote active participation in APPA’s programs and services.
As we begin 2025, it is time to recognize those who have earned individual and institutional recognition by APPA during this transitional year of 2024. There are two exceptions to the 2024 awards: there are no recipients for the top individual and institutional awards—the Award for Excellence in Facilities Management (AFE) and the APPA Fellow designation. Any nominations made for these awards will be carried over to 2025.
And now, the envelope, please.
Here are APPA’s 2024 Award winners.
INSTITUTIONAL AWARDS
Effective and Innovative Practices Award
APPA’s Effective and Innovative Practices Award (E&I) was first awarded in 2004 in recognition of programs and processes that enhance service delivery, lower costs, increase productivity, improve customer service, generate revenue, or otherwise benefit the educational institution. Nominations for the E&I award must describe either a new program or a significant restructuring of an existing program or process.
Past E&I recipients have recognized various projects and programs, including collaborations for student success, smart restroom technology, the APPA credentialing cohort program, inventory management, an employee video archive, and more. Institutions may submit up to three different programs each year for consideration of the E&I Practices Award.
The 2024 Effective and Innovative Practices Award recipients are:
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- University of Connecticut: Building Your Workforce from Within: Future Workforce for UConn Facilities Operations
Beginning in 2014 as a work-based learning program, UCONN partnered with Harvard H. Ellis Technical High School and Windham Technical High School to sponsor pre-apprenticeship trade students and build their workforce from within. These apprenticeships ranged from work-based learning students to current UCONN students and full-time apprentices. A few years later, the program evolved into a program for UCONN graduates to be hired as apprentices through the student payroll program. This program also utilizes trainees in UCONN’s Water Recovery Facility and their Co-Generation Power Plant on campus.
APPA President & CEO Lalit Agarwal presented the award to UCONN Facilities Associate Directors Mickey Gorman and Ryan Steinberg at the 2024 Eastern Region of APPA (ERAPPA) Conference, held this past September in King of Prussia, PA.
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- University of Wisconsin: Helium Shortage 4.0
In early February 2022, UW–Madison learned that significant disruptions to the U.S. and global helium supply chains would significantly restrict the amount of helium the university could purchase each month. The situation became worse, as Russia invaded Ukraine later that month, and vendors further restricted the helium supply.
Megan Fry, mechanical utilities engineer, and Al Yingling, facilities technician at UW–Madison’s Helium Plant, jumped into action. They collaborated with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education (OVCRGE) at UW–Madison Purchasing Services and their helium suppliers to understand the impact of this disruption, develop a plan for mitigating the supply restriction, and communicate with impacted researchers. The situation was dubbed “Helium Shortage 4.0,” and an initial analysis by Megan showed that—without a change in helium usage—the campus only had about four months until the Helium Plant would be unable to recycle helium, jeopardizing multi-million-dollar equipment and shutting down vital research.
Megan’s and Al’s work has helped prevent catastrophic impacts to UW–Madison research, with their helium inventory on solid footing through at least the calendar year 2024. Additionally, Megan and Al’s work contributed to a federal funding request through UW Federal Relations to bolster helium recovery and resiliency in the Helium Plant. That request ultimately secured a $1 million federal funding commitment and the support of a $1.4 million campus investment in improvements to the campus helium facility.
Sustainability Innovation Award
APPA’s Sustainability Innovation Award in Facilities Management was introduced in 2012 as a campus-wide sustainability assessment program that evolved into focusing on specific innovative applications. This honor is awarded to educational institutions that have implemented a significant or transformative program and/or processes that enhance service delivery, lower costs, create a green and/or sustainable environment, or otherwise benefit the educational institution by supporting student success and environmental stewardship. Nominees must describe either one new program or a significant restructuring of an existing program or process.
The 2024 Sustainability Innovation Award recipient is California State University, Sacramento, for Hornet Reuse, a waste pilot project in the form of a mobile app connecting students, faculty, and staff for the exchange of items for free. The app not only facilitated a culture of reusing and repurposing, but also led to significant cost savings through the better utilization of surplus campus office furniture. During the first three months alone, the app saved $150,000 through cost avoidance and the redeployment of office furniture from campus surplus. Hornet Reuse has also contributed to a remarkable three percent increase in waste diversion, diverting valuable resources from landfills and reducing carbon emissions associated with production and disposal. This achievement aligns perfectly with campus sustainability objectives and sets a positive example for other institutions seeking to enhance their environmental stewardship.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Pacesetter Award
The Pacesetter Award recognizes personal leadership and encourages continued participation in APPA among members who have made significant contributions to their regions or chapters. Up to seven Pacesetter Awards may be given each year.
The 2024 recipient of APPA’s Pacesetter Award is:
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- Kevin Simpson, ERAPPA, University of New Brunswick/Fredericton
Rex Dillow Award for Outstanding Article
The Rex Dillow Award is presented to the author or authors of the best article published in Facilities Manager magazine during the previous calendar year. Eligible articles are those written by a full-time employee from any department of an APPA member institution. Selection is based on five categories: content, interest, readability, applicability, and ease of editing.
The 2024 recipient of the Rex Dillow Award is Jamie K. Gayer, Indiana University—Bloomington, and her article, Empowering Tomorrow’s Skilled Trade Professionals: Modernizing Apprenticeship Programs in FM.
Meritorious Service Award
The Meritorious Service Award is bestowed upon APPA members who have made significant, lifelong contributions to the profession of educational facilities management. It is APPA’s highest award for individual service and is given to no more than three individuals each year.
The 2024 recipient of the Meritorious Service Award is:
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- David Smith, SRAPPA, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Nominations for the 2025 APPA awards are being accepted until January 15, 2025. Visit the Member Awards and Recognition Page to learn more about each APPA member award, the recognition criteria, and application instructions.
Kevin Willmann is APPA’s communications writer/editor and managing editor of Facilities Manager. You can reach him at [email protected].
