May 31, 2023

It can be easy to miss their contributions to the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) community. After all, the better they do their jobs, the easier it can be to overlook their efforts. Which explains why UMB’s Facilities and Operations (F&O) staff can sometimes be easy to miss — they do an amazing job. The University’s first World Facilities Day celebration aimed to make sure the people who take care of the campus were duly recognized for their efforts. 

Following the lead of the nationally recognized World Facilities Management Day, UMB World Facilities Day was celebrated Tuesday, May 23. Those in attendance included members from Environmental Services (EVS), Operations and Maintenance, Sustainability, Capital Projects Service Center, Construction and Facilities Strategic Acquisitions, and Design and Construction.

The celebration was broken into two, three-hour sessions so that members of the day and evening shifts could attend. An abridged version of the event also was held for the overnight crew. All the sessions were standing room-only, filled with enthusiastic attendees who welcomed the chance to salute their fellow workers. 

“It feels like a family reunion. It’s just so nice getting to mix with all these people,” said Ida Powell, custodial lead in EVS and a UMB community member since 1995. “It’s about the unity. Being able to mingle with your peers, getting to know what the different divisions do. Since Dawn Rhodes showed up, it feels like more than a family. She’s made it so that every EVS worker can be out in front and reach their full potential. She challenges us to be better.”

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“It feels like a family reunion. It’s just so nice getting to mix with all these people,” said Ida Powell, custodial lead in EVS and a UMB community member since 1995.