General Administration & Management

Mary Vosevich, Dean
University of Kentucky

The general administration curriculum is designed to give students the skills they need to manage the operations and personnel of a facilities department. Also important is the development of leadership skills to encourage students to think beyond daily operations and understand the role of facilities in the educational mission of the institution. This department consists of ten core courses and several electives. The courses are all taught by experienced educators and practitioners, including many long-term Institute faculty members. Courses include leadership skills, resource and financial management, business management, decision making, information management, communication skills, ethics, motivation skills, and employee relations.

Courses

101 Understanding Management Skills Through the MBTI (AIA approved for 3.5 Learning Units)
Explore the context of management skills within the model facilities department. Examine the different styles of management and visualize yourself in the roles of mentor, coach, and team builder. Learn the skills necessary for these roles and develop an understanding of how to best leverage your assets as management skills.

104 Managing Staff Relations (AIA approved for 1.5 Learning Units)
Participate in discussions of methods of developing positive employee relations, in union and non-union environments. Explore effective management processes addressing cultural diversity and sexual harassment issues. Develop a good understanding of the basics principles of human resources management. Topics include recruiting and selecting employees, promotion and advancement, employee evaluation, and grievance procedures.

106 Communication Skills for Managers (AIA approved for 3.5 Learning Units)
This course enables participants to use their knowledge of basic influencing skills to improve their communication based on a new understanding of their personality type. Using information from The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, each participant will learn techniques to improve their communication with co-workers and their supervisor. Each participant will develop a plan for improving their working relationship with their immediate supervisor. The course also involves interaction with other participants to facilitate management of work groups, leading meetings, communicating with groups, and working with delivery of both good and bad news.

110 Managing Ethically (AIA approved for 1.5 Learning Units)
Examine ethical issues facing facilities professionals. You will learn a framework of foundational principles and questions to use as a guide in the decision-making process, and strategies for improving the ethical climate of an organization.

111 The Financials of Facilities in Higher Education (AIA approved for 1.5 Learning Units)
This session will introduce facility professionals to understand the fundamentals and techniques for capital finance. This introduction provides the broad overview and background information that relates to all levels of facilities management. The session begins with learning the basics of the financial enterprise related to higher education, community colleges, public and private colleges and universities including historically black colleges (HBC’s). The presentation illustrates the different “color of money” at institutions and some alternative finance strategies for financing projects at your institution of higher learning. The discussion develops the typical expenditures and revenues measures, general data for higher education and looks at current trends in capital finance. The presentation is summarized with the top five finance strategies to becoming successful and comfortable to be at the decision table at your institution. Finally the session concludes with everything you wanted to know about system revenue bonds (SRB’s) but were afraid to ask topic. This knowledge equips the facilities profession with the tools necessary to be included in the finance discussions with your 

115 Emerging Technologies (AIA approved for 1.5 Learning Units)
This course is an overview of emerging information and communications technologies: networks, personal computers, information appliances, digital video, audio, and graphics, virtual reality and skills simulation and the role they will play on the campus of the 21st century.

118 The Business and Culture of Higher Education (AIA approved for 1.5 Learning Units)
Understanding the business and culture of higher education enables facilities management professionals to better understand and serve the needs of the institution. This course will provide an overview of the business of higher education and deepen our understanding of how institutions are classified, funded, endowed and accredited and discuss the impact and importance of institutional mission and governance. The commonalities and differences between the academic departments and auxiliaries (housing, bookstore, athletics, parking, etc.) will be explored. The culture of higher education will address shared governance, tenure, faculty rank, alumni relations and the other aspects that make ours a unique environment.