SUU Facilities Get Top State Ratings

Published: December 22, 2008 | Read Time: 2 minutes

The beauty in and around Southern Utah University is no secret to all who’ve visited its campus. But beauty is, indeed, only skin deep and SUU is proud to announce its campus has much to offer far beyond its idyllic setting. In its recent review, the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management (DFCM) recognized SUU as the highest-ranked institution within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) for its campus-wide facilities management.

This is the third consecutive assessment in which SUU has been ranked as the top USHE institution for its maintenance policies and practices.

According to the official maintenance audit report, conducted by the independent ISES Corporation, “Overall, the campus of Southern Utah University was found to be in very good condition. The overall level of effort with respect to the maintenance program at the campus exceeds the norms found in higher education maintenance operations across the nation.”

The report continues, “While no organization achieves the standard of perfection, no major areas [at SUU] were found to be non-compliant in this audit, while some areas were found to be outstanding.”

This commendation comes from ISES Associate Vice President Daniel Harrison, who reviews campuses nationwide, and after he had just completed four other campus assessments within the USHE.

In his report, Harrison writes, “Of particular note is the condition of the campus with respect to cleanliness. The mechanical rooms at SUU are some of the cleanest that the auditor has ever witnessed across the nation, particularly the interiors of the air handling systems. The campus as a whole was also in outstanding condition from a custodial viewpoint. The auditor happened to be present on campus immediately following a snow storm, and during finals week, both of which typically lead to disheveled appearances at most campuses, but the buildings at SUU were kept in extremely clean conditions during this period, indicative of a high level of employee dedication within the custodial staff.”

To SUU President Michael Benson, this news came as no surprise, “The findings of DFCM only serve to confirm what all of us at SUU have known for a long time: we have, hands down, the finest facilities management team in the entire state. My thanks to everyone who keep our campus looking so beautiful all of the time and for creating an environment wherein we can all succeed.”

According to SUU’s Vice President of Finance and Facilities Dorian Page, “We all know what a commitment the SUU’s Facilities Management team has to the campus and to the quality of their work. It’s nice to have that recognized by outside observers who really know what it takes to have a beautiful, well-maintained campus.”

DFCM’s audit of maintenance activities involved a general review of specific administrative and procedural standards, along with physical condition review of ten randomly selected campus facilities. SUU’s overall score totaled a 94.9 percent compliance with the statewide facility maintenance standards.

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