Fleet receives multiple awards
June 30, 2022
The UVA Facilities Management's Mindful Driver program was honored with a UVA award and an industry-wide award
The UVA Facilities Management Fleet team was recently honored with two different awards for ongoing efforts to support safety and sustainability.
The awards include the Hoos Building Bridges Award, which celebrates UVA staff members who are working on projects that cut across different areas of the University, and APPA's Effective and Innovative Practices Award, which recognizes unique and beneficial programs within the educational facilities management industry.
Transportation Operations and Fleet Manager Michael Duffy was nominated for the Hoos Building Bridges Award by his colleagues for his work to support the creation of the Mindful Driver training program, which combines driving safely and boosting fuel efficiency, and for his work to support the Fleet receiving the National Association of Fleet Administrators' Sustainable Fleet Accreditation.
The Mindful Driver training program has been a collaboration with multiple Facilities Management employees as well as students within the School of Engineering's Department of Engineering Systems and Environment.
“You were nominated for this award by your colleagues for creating a training module that improved sustainability and safety…and now other universities want to learn how UVA implemented such training,” wrote UVA President Jim Ryan in an email. “Too often, our work at UVA is siloed, with everyone doing their own thing in their own way. Bridge-builders like you break down those silos and find ways to make us more efficient and effective.”
The program also received the APPA Effective & Innovative Practices Award, which recognizes new programs that will enhance service delivery, lower costs, increase productivity, improve customer service, generate revenue, or otherwise benefit the educational institution, according to Kristin Witters, director of membership and community engagement for APPA.
“This year's selections demonstrate the breadth of projects that can be considered, ranging from ventilation to custodial services to mindful driving habits for the campus fleet,” said Witters.
Submissions are assessed on criteria measuring institutional benefit; innovativeness, creativity and originality; portability and sustainability; management commitment and employee involvement; and documentation, analysis, customer input, and benchmarking. Projects displaying a high level of innovation and adaptability for implementation at other schools have the best chance of being favorably ranked.
Other 2022 recipients of the Effective & Innovative Practices Award include: Florida State University, The Juilliard School, University of Alabama, and University of California at San Francisco.
Award recipients will be recognized during the 2022 APPA Virtual Facilities Summit in July.
Jane Centofante
Communications senior generalist
UVA Facilities Management
(434) 982-5846
janecentofante@virginia.edu