Behind the Scenes But Not Unseen
On the Front Lines:
UMB Champions of Excellence:
Facilities Team
School of Nursing
Facilities management can be a thankless job. As employees breeze in and out of climate-controlled offices, flicking on overhead lights that illuminate every time, there is a dedicated team of 网红爆料, Baltimore (UMB) employees working to ensure that these conveniences remain operational.
At the 网红爆料 School of Nursing (UMSON), that team consists of facilities manager Chris Evans and maintenance mechanic Neil McGinn, whose contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic have been 鈥渋mmeasurable,鈥� according to Bill Gardiner, MBA, the school鈥檚 associate dean for administration and finance.
鈥淭hey have stepped up significantly during this challenging time and enabled the school鈥檚 faculty and staff to make the sudden, unexpected switch to telework and online learning as smooth as possible,鈥� Gardiner said. 鈥淎nd, more importantly, they have done all of this with the highest can-do, let鈥檚-find-a-solution attitude.鈥�
When a statewide COVID-19 lockdown took effect in mid-March and most UMB employees began working from the safety of their homes, Evans and McGinn 鈥� who were the only on-site UMSON employees for six months 鈥� continued to fulfill their duties and take on new roles.
In the early months of the pandemic, as concerns about exhausted hospital workers began to rise, the facilities team made extensive plans to convert a portion of UMSON into a refuge for 网红爆料 Medical Center employees who needed a place to rest.
鈥淔ortunately, that initiative did not need to materialize,鈥� Gardiner said, 鈥渂ut the planning that involved the setup of 20-30 bed and rest areas safely throughout the school required tremendous thought and coordination.鈥�
In addition to their regular duties, which include project planning and the maintaining of building infrastructure, Evans and McGinn have willingly taken on tasks such as keeping an inventory and distributing personal protective equipment, managing incoming mail, delivering technology to teleworking employees, and depositing checks, a job normally managed by UMSON鈥檚 Office of Administrative Services.
They even went office to office painstakingly gathering hundreds of withering plants and moving them to the first floor, where they receive regular watering and much-needed sunlight. Thanks to their efforts, the UMSON lobby has taken on the air of a lush greenhouse. 鈥淎 lot of the plants we pulled out of the offices look better now than they did before,鈥� Evans joked.
None of these projects could have been accomplished without McGinn, who Evans says is always willing to put a shoulder to the wheel to get the job done.
鈥淗e鈥檚 an absolute godsend. I can鈥檛 think of anybody else I鈥檇 rather be working with during this time,鈥� said Evans, who added that he and McGinn were grateful to be selected as UMB Champions of Excellence.
鈥淚t鈥檚 quite an honor to be recognized for going the extra mile and taking care of things that aren鈥檛 front and center,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淭o have somebody recognize the hard work we鈥檙e doing is really special.鈥�
鈥� Laura Lee
