FM Staff News

Each year, on the last Saturday in April, tens of thousands of visitors flock to UMD’s College Park Campus to celebrate Maryland Day. This campus-wide celebration of learning, discovery, and fun features hundreds of free exhibitions and events. “I consider Maryland Day a Triple Crown event of campus celebrations (along with Commencement and Family-Homecoming Weekends),” said Gabe Purviance, Assistant Director of Building & Landscape Maintenance.

A quiet transformation has begun on the College Park campus as 51 distinctive vehicles - 25 vans, 23 pickups, and three SUVs - begin circulating the campus grounds. They are the first fully electric vehicles (EVs) in the Facilities Management (FM) fleet, part of a one-year pilot project, and an important step toward President Pines’ goal of a fully electric fleet by 2035.

SHIFT is a new technology-driven approach to connect campus customers with facilities operations to get repair work completed quickly and efficiently.

It’s again time for UMD faculty and staff to complete the university’s annual IT security awareness training. The university needs a cybersecurity-conscious workforce to ensure that computers, networks, and information are kept safe. Updated for 2024, “Defend Your Shell” is a basic cybersecurity awareness training created to fulfill the state of Maryland’s expectation that all employees receive cybersecurity awareness information each year.

Approximately 20% of FM team members communicate in a language other than English. This language barrier can hinder access to important work-related information, limit career growth, and reduce confidence and engagement at work. To help address this challenge, FM is offering training opportunities to help staff sharpen their English language and communication skills. 

In a typical year, the College Park area experiences an average of five to six snow or ice events with an average seasonal snowfall of around 13 inches.  Long before the first snowflakes fall, the Facilities Management (FM) landscape/snow removal team begins winter weather preparation and whatever winter brings, FM is prepared.