Facilities planning and management reorganization is complete

Facilities planning and management (FPM) has completed the final phase of its previously announced reorganization. FPM employees have been assigned to specific areas of campus -- referred to as service neighborhoods -- where they will provide dedicated ongoing service and support. 

The initiative, which began in the summer of 2024, aims to enhance collaboration, streamline operations and improve the quality of services across campus.

The new structure introduces five service neighborhoods: Cardinal, Gold, Spirit, Land Grant and Storm. Each of the first four is supported by a cross-functional team trained to meet the unique needs of their neighborhood. These team members provide services in areas such as building custodial, outdoor grounds, building maintenance, building systems, trades (such as carpentry, plumbing) and construction project management. 

The Storm neighborhood features centralized FPM services such as safety systems, building automation systems, sustainability, custodial night crews, landscape architecture and special events, and it will serve all of campus. Two FPM units, utility services and logistics and support services (which includes surplus and postal and parcel), retain their existing structures outside of the service teams.

What customers need to know

1. Find your neighborhood: Campus customers can see which neighborhood they reside in on the FPM reorganization website.

2. No change in service requests: The process for requesting service remains unchanged. Customers may either complete the service request ticket on the FPM website or call 515-294-5100.

"This reorganization marks a significant step forward in FPM's commitment to delivering high-quality service to campus," said Wendy Kisch, associate vice president for facilities planning and management. "Both our customers and our team members can expect a more connected and efficient experience."

Reorganization recap

By integrating expertise from nearly all functional areas within FPM, the reorganization is designed to deliver more personalized and efficient customer service. Each campus area has a dedicated service team offering: 

• A single point of contact for communication.
• Faster response times.
• Members knowledgeable about the specific challenges or needs of their area.

In earlier phases of the reorganization, FPM leaders mapped out the areas of campus that make up each neighborhood and filled about 20 positions created to support the teams structure: 

• Director, facilities planning and management (4: Land Grant, Spirit, Cardinal, Gold neighborhoods)
• Associate director, facilities services (Storm neighborhood)
• Manager, facilities services (4)
• Manager, project services (4)
• Facilities services coordinator (8)

FPM leaders shared the service neighborhood assignments with department employees at the end of June. Since then, FPM has been working to elevate operations, build relationships and foster a collaborative culture.