Industry needs direct degree programs

Today’s office and industrial buildings are more than just four walls.

From cutting-edge materials to energy-saving lighting systems and complex information technology centers, these commercial buildings require facility managers with a broad base of knowledge.

“They call them smart buildings for a reason,” said Shawn Strong, head of Missouri State University’s technology and construction management program.

Because of the complexity of these new structures, Strong’s department and MSU will this fall launch a bachelor’s degree in facility management, teaching students what it takes to manage hospitals, hotels, resorts, schools, office complexes, sports arenas and convention centers.

Job duties may include everything from taking care of the air conditioning, computing systems, electric power, plumbing, lighting, cleaning, decoration, grounds and security.

Industry input
MSU tapped into expertise in the local business community to develop the facility management degree program, with an advisory board staffed by volunteers from CoxHealth, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, Bass Pro Shops and St. John’s Health System.

“This new technology we’re seeing in buildings requires some very unique support systems,” said Bob Norton, regional vice president of facilities for St. John’s. “To orchestrate all these things, you need to have a broad base of knowledge. (The program) combines technical knowledge with business know-how as well as knowing how to support these technologies that are growing very quickly.”

MSU’s program is designed to achieve accreditation from the International Facility
Management Association, and if that happens, it would join five other IFMA-accredited programs. Industry congestion won’t likely be a problem, school and industry officials cite IFMA projections for an annual need for 10,000 new facility managers nationwide and less than 1,000 graduates from those accredited programs each year.

Strong anticipates demand for the program’s graduates will be high both locally and nationwide.

“There are a lot of different directions you can go with the degree,” he said, noting that students will be able to choose to concentrate on health care, hospitality, industry/production or property management.

Whichever the focus, it’s likely that technology will be a key area of study, and particularly for health facilities.  

Rod Schaffer, vice president of facilities management for CoxHealth, said the new degree will help him find the employees he needs to keep on eye on the CoxHealth’s real estate assets, but he noted that the knowledge the graduates gain will be valuable to many types of companies.

“There are an awful lot of owners that have a lot of money tied up in real estate and they want the facilities well-run and well-maintained,” Schaffer said. “This curriculum runs the gambit of what these professionals will need to know in order to manage facilities in today’s environment.”

“New medical technologies are growing at an unprecedented rate,” said Norton, who is responsible for 16 million square feet of buildings for St. John’s. Those facilities house specialized technology – such as cyber knives or Da Vinci robots – and are often built of particular materials that are most conducive to a healing environment.

Norton said prior to this type of degree being offered, businesses had to “assemble several different trades … in order to take care of a building.”

Beneficial relationships
Business-education connections that bring about new degrees are strong at MSU and other schools such as Ozarks Technical Community College, where there are active advisory boards for several degree programs. President Hal Higdon said OTC works diligently to respond to the business needs for specific types of education.

OTC has a close connection to local industry and active advisory boards for its various programs. The college works hard to respond quickly and well to the community’s needs, said president Hal Higdon.

“All our programs and degrees are based on community input,” Higdon said, specifically citing OTC’s Transportation Training Institute.

“Four years ago the truck driving community came to us and said it needed more qualified truck drivers,” he said.

OTC responded by developing the institute, which opened in February 2007 with several local trucking companies – including Steelman Transportation, TCSI/Transland  and Trailiner Corp. – donating more than $50,000 for startup in Ozark at Price Cutter Park, former home of the Ozark Mountain Ducks baseball team.

As the institute has continued to provide training for truck drivers, local industry leaders have continued to give support.

On. Aug. 5, Peterbilt of Springfield Inc., a subsidiary of the Larson Group, presented the OTC Foundation with two diesel tractors worth $59,000, to support the program and provide students with hands-on experience.[[In-content Ad]]