UH System Facilities leaders and business partners gathered to collaborate, network and gain knowledge at the 2023 UHS Facilities Forum. This year’s theme was “Breaking Barriers with Dream Teams.” The two-day event was attended by members of staff across University of Houston System.
Day one began with a keynote address from Dr. Loren Blanchard. The President of UH-Downtown shared his thoughts and perspective regarding the UHS magic teams within each university’s facilities departments and explained how much they matter to student success. He engaged attendees with a fun Kahoot quiz on their knowledge of commonly used abbreviations within higher education and the top three received prizes.
On day two, Chancellor Khator shared an encouraging message on the importance of collaborating with teams to go the distance and achieve goals. She shared stories from her own experience with breaking barriers when she started with University of Houston fifteen years ago. Many participants regarded her message as inspiring and hopeful with aspirations on becoming a Top 50 public university.
A series of other workshops transpired over the following two days and formed a collaborative, learning environment. Facilitators highlighted the importance of breaking barriers with internal and external teams and educated participants on how artificial intelligence is quickly unfolding and being implemented within day-to-day operations.
Senior Associate Vice Chancellor/Associate Vice President David Oliver said, “This is our sixth Facilities Forum and each year the information presented aligns with the current situations we deal with on a daily basis. Building dream teams that can break barriers is pivotal in order to continue to support student success. Technology is changing faster than we ever imagined, but collectively as a System, we have the right people in place to handle the challenge.”
UH Facilities/Construction Management thanks all of the participants who engaged during the forum. A special thanks goes out to the hard work and dedication of the Facilities Forum Planning Committee who met for months in advance to discuss the logistics. F/CM looks forward to conducting many more UHS Facilities Forums in the future.
