In 2018, the College of Charleston Physical Plant, Office of Facilities Planning, Grounds, Environmental Health and Safety, and Emergency Management were all combined into one division: Facilities Management.
Overseeing five chief work units – Architecture and Engineering, Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities Operations, Facilities Planning and Utility Services – the newly organized division is designed to meet the changing needs of the College. And, while some things have not changed – the staff’s friendly faces and service mindset, for example – Facilities Management has rebranded itself, with everything from new wordmarks on its vehicles and work wear to a newly defined mission and vision.
“Facilities Management is the new and improved Physical Plant,” says John Morris, vice president for Facilities Management.
With a mission of partnering with the campus community to create and enhance learning and living environments that promote student success and research excellence, Morris says the division is dedicated to promoting a positive, invigorating and engaging culture that embraces continuous process improvement, ensures responsible fiscal management and advances campus sustainability, appearance and functionality.
“We aim to be a progressive, customer-focused organization that is recognized as a leader in providing exceptional service and responsible stewardship of resources,” Morris says.
That emphasis on value-added customer service, teamwork, partnership and cooperation, innovation and continuous improvement is clear on the new Facilities Management website, which has been updated and upgraded with helpful features like the “Cone Zone,” which provides a map of all the construction projects on campus.
The website makes it easy to submit Work Order Service Requests, as well as show appreciation for a job well done: A Recognition Nomination Form allows faculty and staff to nominate Facilities Management staff for any of the divisions four monthly awards, including the Most Valuable Person Award, the Unsung Hero Award, the Pride Award and the Safety Award For Excellence.
“We value our employees, our campus community, our institutional heritage and our natural environment,” the website says. “We take pride in providing the best service possible to meet the needs and requirements of our campus community.”
The Facilities Management Operations Center is staffed Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and phones are monitored 24/7/365: 843.953.5550. Please note that the Physical Plant email addresses (including physicalplanthelp@cofc.edu and physicalplant@cofc.edu) are no longer in service. Instead, please use facilitiessupport@cofc.edu.
