New Jersey Chapter of APPA

As I begin my tenure as President of NJAPPA, I must first thank those that have continued the legacy of education, networking, and sharing before me – Dianne Gravatt, Rutgers University, who puts her heart and soul into the NJAPPA organization, leaves office as Past President, but stays with us as Education Director; Mark Showers, Rowan University, who's leadership recognized the complexity of common tasks and positioned NJAPPA as "the" organization in facilities management in New Jersey, moves to the position of Past President, but continues to be close enough to provide good counsel and advice to this novice. Thank you both for your dedication and hard work.

In my years with the NJAPPA organization, I have found it to be second to none in the development of higher education facilities professionals. With Dianne at the helm as the Education Director, I expect nothing less moving forward. We will work hard to listen to our constituents and develop programming, with our business partners and member institutions, to bring cutting edge information to our colleges and universities. Look for collaborative sessions to continue, with other regional chapters, the parent organization APPA, and groups like IFMA, SCUP, and NJHEPS, to leverage our combined resources in providing educational programs. In addition, providing continuing education credits for engineers, architects, LEED associates, CEFPs, etc. will continue to be a focus.

Developing better and better educational programs will assist in continuing our momentum recruiting and retaining additional higher education institutions as members of NJAPPA. With Brian O'Rourke, Raritan Valley Community College, as my right hand and President Elect, the effort to include and encourage membership by the community colleges will continue. Additional overtures will be made to the private institutions, through groups like the Council of Independent Colleges, to increase their participation in the organization. We will also encourage our business partners to use their relationships with these institutions to recruit participants at every level of these organizations.

Times are tough; funding is continuing to be slashed, while expectations are rising. Value is an important proposition for all of us, which is why the NJAPPA organization is an important part of higher education in New Jersey. It is our role to provide students, faculty, and staff with a safe, functional and comfortable learning, teaching and working environment on our respective campuses. This organization affords us the opportunity to work together, with industry leaders, to find ways to do the things we need to do better, faster, and cheaper than before. If you haven't yet gotten involved, well, get on board, there is plenty of room!

Finally, I encourage everyone to check out the upcoming ERAPPA 2012 conference in Philadelphia. Our colleagues in the DVAPPA chapter have been working hard to put together a great educational opportunity, with a little bit of fun and excitement woven in, right in our own backyard. Watch our website for additional details. Also, adding a shameless plug...ERAPPA 2014, Atlantic City, New Jersey.....An Ocean of Opportunities, coming soon!

Best wishes and welcome to our newest Board members, Tim Carey, Montclair State University, Julius Raichle, Ocean County College, and Patti Smith, Drew University.

Sincerely,

Andrew P. Christ, PE

NJAPPA President