The UNLV department of facilities management was recently honored by the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) with its Award for Excellence - the highest honor for an education-based facilities management program in the nation.

UNLV is one of just two institutions nationwide to win the award for 2010 and joins a prestigious list of recent winners that includes the University of Michigan, North Carolina State University and the Smithsonian Institution. UNLV is the first Nevada institution to be honored with the Award for Excellence from APPA, which carries with it a five-year recognition period.

The APPA, which boasts more than 1,500 members in education, government and business, solicits nominations for its top award each year from institutions that exceed current facilities management standards. To be considered, members have to meet or surpass more than 50 evaluation criteria in areas including including leadership, planning, process management and sustainability.

APPA evaluators made an on-site visit to UNLV to judge the facilities department's sustainability and energy management practices and its ability to meet the needs of diverse campus constituents. UNLV was selected due to its overall strength and balance of facilities operation, proving it meets the APPA's highest standards for industry practice.

The Facilities Department at UNLV includes the areas of planning and construction, facilities operations, landscape and grounds, custodial and recycling services, energy management administrative services and work management. The department was recently honored by Maintenance Solutions Magazine with its inaugural Achievement Award for exemplary work in management, sustainability and renovations. In 2009, the division received one of the state's highest honors - The Cashman Good Government Award - from the Nevada Taxpayers Association for efficient and effective use of taxpayer funds.