Leaders in stewardship

Abstract

MU Operations, like most divisions across campus, saw substantial budget cuts again in Fiscal Year 2016. In the past two years, our division lost 88 employees requiring everyone else to take on additional duties to accomplish an ever-growing list of projects. While we stress being environmental and financial stewards of Mizzou’s resources, we have taken that concept to the next level, finding ways to accomplish more with less. Faculty and staff helped soften the blow by working with Campus Facilities – Facility Operations to empty their office trash and recyclables, freeing up custodians’ time to handle Mizzou’s recycling, formerly a volunteer effort. We strive to provide a favorable return on investment across campus, whether it be maintaining the beautiful landscape that helps attract prospective students to providing a safe campus, which many of our departments contribute to including MU Police, Environmental Health & Safety and Campus Facilities. We also offer leisure activities for the community-at-large with world-class artists performing at Missouri Theatre and Jesse Auditorium; culinary delights at the University Club and Catering; and 18 holes on the beautifully maintained A.L. Gustin Golf Course, the nation’s first Audubon Certified university course. These self-funded departments are looking for new ways to reach their audiences and will continue to do so in the coming months. While we have always had a large student staff, we work hard nowadays to not only provide a paycheck but also experiential learning opportunities for MU students, and we further the academic mission of the university by providing research opportunities and internships. You will see stories about these opportunities throughout this publication. This year, you will find the length of our annual report has increased. The last section of the annual report includes what formerly was a separate document – the MU Master Plan and Climate Action Plan. We have combined the documents in order to cut costs and bring the master plan and climate action plan to a broader audience. It is important to note that this is the university’s plan, and under the direction of shared governance (Campus Facilities Planning Committee, Campus Space Utilization Committee and Environmental Affairs & Sustainability Committee), though MU Operations staff help implement it. I am honored to lead MU Operations and hope you enjoy learning about our division’s accomplishments over the past year. Most of our employees work behind the scenes to provide services that make it possible for faculty, students and staff to succeed in their roles at Mizzou, and we thank you for supporting us through some difficult budgetary times.