New City Tech program fills need for facilities managers

Real Estate Weekly, April 18, 2001

The challenges of overseeing commercial, residential, and institutional buildings in this era of rapidly changing technology has created a growing demand for well-educated facility managers with sophisticated technical expertise and management skills.

To address this need, New York City Technical College (City Tech) has created a comprehensive bachelor's degree program in facilities management.

"This is a welcome addition to the menu of training and certification programs for property managers," said Marolyn Davenport, senior vice president of the Real Estate Board of New York.

"Facilities management has become increasingly complex, and owners today demand highly trained managers."

According to Al Finger, who directs the City Tech Facilities Management program, the deregulation of the energy industry has added a whole new layer of complexity to the everyday tasks performed by facilities managers.

"Financial analysis, building systems, and project management courses in our program will enable our graduates to respond to the rapid changes occurring in the energy services industry," he noted. While facilities managers are instrumental in planning, providing, and maintaining efficient working and living environments, they also can give businesses a competitive advantage in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

"In the corporate sector, facilities represent the second most significant asset, after people," Finger said. "Twenty percent or more of annual corporate expenses are for facilities, and real estate and equipment often represent as much as 50% of a company's assets."

There are now more than 100 students enrolled in City Tech's bachelor of technology in the facilities management degree program, which began accepting students just a year ago. Its curriculum, based on recommendations of members of the real estate industry, contains courses in facilities management and the liberal arts and sciences. The facilities management elective courses cover facilities planning and design, facilities engineering, construction management, and urban housing management. All facilities management courses are available in the evenings, allowing students to work during the day and still pursue their education.

Most of the current students are graduates of the college's associate degree programs in architectural, construction, civil engineering, and environmental control (heating and air conditioning) technology. Others have degrees from other programs or institutions and want to expand their career opportunities.

"Many of our students work in the real estate industry, and they tell us they have already used material from their courses to manage foundation repair, roof replacement, mechanical and electrical equipment installation, and other types of projects," Finger said.