A facility manager is a management generalist who manages teams of specialists within a company. Facility managers learn about business, interior and architecture design, computers, law, accounting, engineering, and much about the quality of life aspects in the work environment. The facility manager needs to make sure that each specialist on the facility support team is doing his/her job correctly.

A facility manager may work for any type of organization from hospitals and hotels to financial institutions or computer companies. Even the federal government has civilian and military facility managers in their employ. Responsibilities of a facility manager are to plan, provide, and manage the most efficient, humane, and productive work environment possible. The facility manager is an important link in the integration of telecommunication, information management systems, maintenance, security, and general administrative services. Facility managers are responsiblefor the total facility work environment from the chairs employees sit in to the air they breathe!

One will never be bored as a facility manager. The diversity of tasks will keep the mind well stimulated. Each day brings new challenges as the facility manager participates in long-range facility planning and may, in the same day, respond to the breakdown of essential equipment and machines. He/she will refine procedures, plan and oversee major building renovations, establish standards, and make decisions regarding the facility and equipment.

North Dakota State University offers a bachelor's degree in facility management. This four-year degree prepares students for careers in management and has a strong emphasis on planning, management, and decision-making skills. Students can satisfy the requirements of both the International Facility Management Association and the National Executive Housekeepers Association. A minor in business administration is built into the curriculum. The facility management program is truly interdisciplinary with course work taken in textiles, interior design, industrial engineering, computer science, statistics, natural and social sciences, and business.

Each student is required to complete a field experience in a professional work setting. The experience must be for a full semester for the baccalaureate degree. Students generally do their field experience during the summer between their junior and senior year. The placement is determined by the type of institution in which the student wishes to work, as well as preferred geographic location. Competition for the interns has led to some high-paying positions. Students have interned in Connecticut, Texas, Florida, Arizona, California, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota.

The Office of Financial Aid makes available grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study employment. Scholarships are also available through the AITD Department. Additionally, International Facility Management Association and National Executive Housekeepers Association reserve funds for scholarships, which are awarded by the associations through regional and national competition.

A recent survey of facility professionals shows that facility managers work in companies such as: general manufacturing, banking/financial, electronics, insurance, education, research and development, health care, communication, public administration, retail/wholesale, data processing, architecture and design, transportation, real estate, government agencies, stock brokerage companies, and distribution companies. In recent years North Dakota State University graduates in this major received salaries ranging from $26,500 to $50,000. Facility management has been identified as one of the best careers for the 1990's.

An International Facility Management Association member facility manager manages an average of 2.7 million square feet of space (larger than 63 football fields), manages a team of about 38 people, and averages spending about $6,000 per year for each employee of the company! Not only is the facility manager a key member of the firm's decision-making organization, he/she is also part of a rapidly growing profession. Your personal involvement can help shape the future of the profession.

In 1990, North Dakota State University's student International Facility Management Association became the second student group in the nation to be chartered by the parent association. The student group sponsors field trips, speakers, and social events throughout the year.

Faculty work closely with students on an individual basis, as well as in the classroom. Faculty assist students in locating appropriate internships and placements after graduation. The major is in the Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design which is housed in the Family Life Center and Evelyn Morrow Lebedeff Hall. Clusters of microcomputers are located in the Family Life center for students' convenience.