"Facility management is not routine. Every day is com-pletely different. You are constantly responding to people's needs," said Wendy Beckwith, current coordinator of the pro- gram and chairperson of La Roche's interior design division.

Facility management is a profession that has emerged and grown in the last 25 years. It is an endeavor that coordinates the physical workplace with the people working there. Facility managers have many responsibilities, includ-ing long-range facility planning, maintenance and security management, architectural planning and space management. Duties can also include things such as maintaining air quality in a building or effectively managing workspace. The safety and well-being of employees is the key con-cern. Organizations from factories to hospitals employ facility managers.

Beckwith became interested in the possibility of a facility management major at La Roche about five years ago. After speaking with several interior design graduates who were working in facility management, she realized the potential that La Roche had to support a program. Because of existing majors in business and interior design, the College only had to add a few facility management classes to begin a program.

For guidance on developing La Roche's program, Beckwith turned to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). IFMA helped her to explore the field of facility management and also contributed financial support. Recently, IFMA established a $10,000 endowed scholarship for facility management students at the College.

La Roche also received assistance from ARCHIBUS, a software company. Each facility management student is required to have a laptop computer. To help defray costs, ARCHIBUS donated all of the Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM) software that La Roche students are required to have.

David Eisenreich, PNC vice president and manager of retail buildings group, is also a key facility management faculty member at La Roche. Business and interior design faculty members teach the rest of the classes required for facility management students.

"To succeed, a program must recognize the interdisciplinary nature of facility management," said Beckwith. Since La Roche has strong interior design and business programs, the environment is conducive to this.

Student Jeffrey Witte enjoys being involved with the new program's growth. He is currently a facility manager for General Nutrition Centers (GNC).

"The great part is having an impact on the program as it is developed and finalized," said Witte, who has a B.S. in interior design from La Roche and is working toward his certificate in facility management.

"I am very happy with the quality of students we are bringing into the program, the instruction and the support from the College," said Beckwith, who is working closely with professors in the other disciplines to expand the program, which currently has eight students. Beckwith expects that number to grow dramatically in the coming years as the demand for facility managers increases.