Meet the Staff of the Grounds Division at SUU
Posted: March 25, 2019 | Author: Kenzie Lundberg | Read Time: 2 minutes
The Grounds division of Facilities Management works to provide the maintenance services that preserve and enhance the natural beauty of Southern Utah University’s campus. Focusing on the beautification and maintenance of campus grounds, the Grounds team provides landscape design, tree pruning, maintaining lawns, sprinkler installation, snow removal, pedestrian safety, heavy equipment operation, pest and invasive species removal, and parking lot maintenance.
“The Grounds division plays an important role in the recruitment and retention of students by creating and maintaining a beautiful campus which provides memorable first impressions for those who visit and attend,” said Cindy Moxley administrative analyst for Facilities Management.
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Grounds crew, SUU has been designated a Tree Campus USA property for the last three years by the Arbor Day Foundation. Colleges and universities are honored after meeting five standards developed to promote healthy trees and student involvement. SUU currently has over 2,300 trees on campus, and Grounds plants around 100 more trees every year. Learn more about each tree, as well as the water-wise choices the Grounds team has made, through the Interactive Campus Map and Tree Tour.
SUU’s campus is home to more than just trees, and the Grounds crew grows 8,000-10,000 new plants in the greenhouse and plants them in the spring to maintain the lush flowerbeds. With 52,272 square feet of flowerbeds across campus, propagating that many plants can mean a 7 day work week to ensure survival. Plants often include vegetables - sometimes artichokes, tomatoes, lettuce or cabbage - these add color and interest to the flowerbeds.
Along with the fulltime employees, the Grounds division hires and mentors 28 student employees each year. The Grounds crew mentors student staff and provides them with skills that will be used all throughout their personal and/or professional lives.
“Students have contacted Grounds staff years after graduating, grateful for the skills they learned on the job,” said Moxley. “When it comes to putting in sprinkler systems, maintaining yards, or even pruning trees, they are happy to have the skills to maintain in their own backyards.”
The Grounds team is led by Director Chris Gale and includes Paul Snyder, Kurt Higbee, Ross Murdock, Steven Daynes, Barry Pearson, Eli Smith, Seth Jones, and Kendall Parry. Next time it snows, just remember that the Grounds team was up at 3 a.m. to clear campus before faculty, staff, students, and visitors arrive.
To contact the Grounds Division, call (435) 865-8888 or email Chris Gale at gale@suu.edu.
Written in partnership with SUU's Staff Association
The Staff Association's objectives are to advocate for staff by representing and advancing their interests and recognizing the value of their contributions, involve staff by encouraging social, service, and professional engagement, unify staff toward common goals that will advance the University’s mission and goals, and to communicate with campus entities to ensure staff are aware of current information.
Learn more about the Staff Association.
This article was published more than 3 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Tags: Staff
