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APPA Fellow

APPA > Membership Overview > Member Awards and Recognition > APPA Individual Awards > APPA Fellow

Designation as an APPA Fellow recognizes individuals for their significant contributions to the field of Educational Facilities Management and who are considered by their peers in the industry as a person of excellence. While most APPA awards recognize past achievements, the APPA Fellow designation brings with it both recognition for specific accomplishments to date, including advancement of the body of knowledge of educational facilities management through research, discovery, and innovation, and expectations for continued involvement in APPA leadership through service and research, coaching and mentoring.

An APPA Fellow is approved by the APPA Board of Directors from candidates recommended by a Special Team comprised of past APPA Fellows. To earn the Fellow designation, a candidate must apply or be nominated to this Special Fellows Team and demonstrate significant contributions to the profession in each of the four areas below. [NOTE:  Each area noted below is bulleted with individual illustrative examples.] Although leadership, service, and lifelong development are critical elements of the Fellow criteria, particular emphasis will be placed on innovation and advancement of the body of knowledge or body of work for the educational facilities management industry.

  1. Leadership: Progressive advancement in the field of educational facilities management.  
    • Demonstrated career advancement in positions of leadership. A recommendation letter(s) that substantively supports an individual’s leadership growth over a period of years is required for this particular element of the criteria.
    • Achievement of the position of an institution’s senior facilities officer or similar institutional leadership position.
    • Position as an academic faculty member of an accredited educational institution.
  2. Innovation: Advancement of the body of knowledge of educational facilities management practice.
    • Research into techniques and strategies such as those found within the Center for Facilities Research (CFaR).
    • Significant innovations which advance management practice through field publications and/or applications, presentations, or teaching.
    • Broad industry recognition of important advances in the profession.
    • APPA Body of Knowledge (BOK) chapter author.
    • Contribution to other APPA publications (such as the Operational Guidelines Trilogy) or other related association journals.
  3. Service: Be an employee (including Emeritus) of an active APPA member institution for at least 10 consecutive years and demonstrated active or engaged participation.
    • Regional, chapter, and/or international association activities such as an officer, board member, committee/team member or chair, task force member, meeting host responsibilities, etc.
    • APPA Institute, Leadership Academy, or Supervisor’s Toolkit instructor/facilitator.
    • Body of Knowledge (BOK) section coordinator or editor,
    • Recipient of the APPA Meritorious Service Award, Rex Dillow Award, Pacesetter Award, or other relevant association awards.
    • Presentations at chapter, regional, or international APPA conferences, APPA webinars, or other related associations.
    • Participation in peer evaluations/reviews, such as FMEP and APPA Advisors.
    • Similar service in other associations whose principal purpose is the betterment of educational facilities management at educational institutions (e.g., SCUP, NACUBO, etc.).
    • Other relevant APPA or related association service that may be deemed equal.
  4. Lifelong development: A record of continual lifelong personal and professional development in educational facilities management.
    • Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP).
    • Graduation from the APPA Institute and/or the APPA Leadership Academy.
    • Attendance at regional and international APPA conferences, APPA webinars, and other educational facilities management professional development programs over the span of APPA membership.
    • Other relevant educational facilities management professional development activities that may be deemed equal.
    • Service in other associations whose principal purpose is the betterment of facilities management at educational institutions (e.g., SCUP, NACUBO, etc.).

The APPA Fellow designation is intended to acknowledge the contributions of current APPA members (including Emeritus members). However, the APPA Board of Directors may also approve “Honorary Fellow” designation to individuals who have made significant contributions to the profession. The Honorary Fellow designation may be granted posthumously to worthy individuals, to individuals who are no longer APPA members, business partners, faculty, or other individuals the Board feels deserve special recognition who may not meet all the designation’s criteria.

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Congratulations to our 2023 Fellow Award Recipient

Ted Weidner, Purdue University

Past Institutional and Individual Award Recipients