I spent the first 14 years of my career in higher education in Student Affairs. This included living in a residence hall, planning fun programs, and being on call in the evenings. Throughout this time, I developed strong relationships with the campus facilities staff and enjoyed learning more about the daily operations of the campus. In 2019, as I contemplated taking on new challenges at my institution and after a series of departures and retirements, I found myself with an opportunity to “join the dark side” and manage the CMMS for our facilities team. I spent my first year in the role learning the ins and outs of the invisible campus, what it takes to keep the boilers (and their technicians) happy, how to change a toilet’s diaphragm, and the preferred turf mix for athletic fields.
Many, Many Changes
In March 2020, as the world changed, our department did as well. Our team shrank, we grieved, we reorganized, we began anew, and we persevered. We weathered a tornado on move-in day 2021 and a derecho on move-out day 2022. We turned 60-year-old dormitories into much-loved residence halls. We coaxed our systems into working regardless of whether the weather was -46 or 116. We turned outdated classrooms into state-of-the-art multimedia centers and turned a quiet plot of campus land into a Division 1 college hockey arena.
During my six years in campus facility operations, there were a few constants. The first was a team that was motivated to meet these challenges head-on and create a successful living and learning environment for our campus community. The other was understanding, support, and resources from the community at CAPPA.
CAPPA Connection
As a small institution, there were times that I felt like I was alone in my role. Having a group of colleagues within CAPPA who I could call or email with questions made me feel less isolated in my work. Sitting at dinner at a CAPPA event and hearing I was one of many facility directors who slept on campus over Christmas battling -50 temperatures and feet of snow made the effort a bit warmer. Sitting in town halls and webinars solving region-wide campus problems made me feel knowledgeable and valuable. Calling on business partners gave me reassurance that companies would understand our needs and help us deliver the best goods and services to our campus. Utilizing the APPA service level research to drive staffing decisions when my team counted on me for support was empowering.
To me, CAPPA is an extra set of eyes, a new perspective, a set of hands to help carry the load of our work, a shoulder to cry on, or a pat on the back, depending on the day. Membership is what you want it to be, what you make of it, and it can be a powerful tool for you as a professional and for your campus as a whole. But mostly, it means you are not alone, and that is a comforting thought as we face the next chapter in higher education.
Whitney Jibben is director- housing, dining and facility operations at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD. She can be reached at [email protected].
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