Friday Focus: UAF Facilities powers more than just the lights

Nov. 1, 2024

— By Kellie Fritze, associate vice chancellor for facilities

If you are like me and still shaking off the sugar rush, it feels right to start with a little Halloween humor: Why don’t skeletons ever work on the Facilities team? Because they don’t have the guts!

With that bit of Halloween spirit, let’s turn to something just as important — teamwork and the impressive work at UAF Facilities Services. As we roll out our new Strategic Plan, we are creating a roadmap for how we care for UAF — our people, facilities, and campuses — by staying true to our core values of Connection, Reliability, Safety, Stewardship and Responsiveness.

Our vision is ambitious. By 2030, we want UAF to have the best-supported and utilized education and research spaces in �ֻ�ֱ��. Imagine our spaces — whether classrooms, research labs, or common areas — inspiring, engaging, and supporting every UAF student, employee, and visitor. A strong, bonded team of Facilities staff, working with state-of-the-art equipment, leading the charge in space planning, campus upgrades, and long-term sustainability, will get us there.

As a staff or faculty member, you will notice key improvements in the coming months. We are focusing on better communication, so it will be easier to know what is happening across campus — from planned maintenance to new projects. Our goal is to make your day-to-day experience smoother, whether it’s by improving the spaces where you work and teach or by streamlining how you get the help you need.

To achieve this vision, we’re building a cohesive Facilities team that supports one another, grows from within, and welcomes new ideas. We are building an environment where people feel connected and supported. New equipment and reliable data planning will all play a part in our success. Our projects, such as revitalizing university housing, creating a Student Success Center, and enhancing our indigenous-centered landscaping, aim to build a campus where students feel at home and our campus community can thrive.

In the short-term, we will ensure that every team member is equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. We are setting up systems to streamline processes, improve service delivery, and support long-term career growth within Facilities.

Our next priority is centered on education and communication. We know that being clear and transparent with the campus community is key to building trust and ensuring smooth operations. We will be rolling out initiatives like roadshows and creating resources that make it easier to stay connected with what is happening in Facilities.

Lastly, we need to ensure that we have the right people in the right jobs, now and into the future. Recruiting new talent, creating pathways for career advancement, and forging strong partnerships with academic and community workforce programs will allow us to build a sustainable, skilled workforce that keeps Facilities Services running smoothly.

Every step we take is about making UAF a place where students, faculty, and staff can flourish. As we move forward with our plans, we are not only maintaining UAF, we are helping shape its future.

Finally, in keeping with the season, I’ll leave you with one more Halloween joke: Why did the zombie apply for a job with Facilities Services? Because he wanted to put his dead-ication to good use!

Happy (belated) Halloween from UAF Facilities Services, and here’s to a bright and well-planned future!

Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of UAF's leadership team every week. On occasion, a guest writer is invited to contribute a column.