Press Releases

Oct. 29, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Andrea Sanchez
George Deutsch
713-623-4362
communications@ifma.org

CONESTOGA COLLEGE, SAXION UNIVERSITY JOIN IFMA FOUNDATION RECOGNIZED DEGREE PROGRAM

HOUSTON — (Oct. 29, 2008) — The IFMA Foundation has named two new schools to its Recognized Degree Program. Conestoga College of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and Saxion University of Applied Sciences in Deventer, The Netherlands, join 11 other prestigious universities as Recognized Degree Program institutions, IFMA Foundation-sanctioned providers of quality facility management degrees.

Developed in 1996 and revised in 2008, the Recognized Degree Program provides the most comprehensive facility management degrees available through adherence to a broad range of industry educational standards. Recognized schools must provide instruction in the nine core competency areas identified by the International Facility Management Association that define the professional practice of facility management.

“We’re pleased that the number of recognized programs continues to grow. It’s our goal to increase awareness about the importance of FM higher education to the success and viability of the FM profession,” said IFMA Foundation Director of Academic Affairs Charlie Claar. “I think this demonstrates that the level of interest in facility management as a career opportunity is high in Canada, Europe and elsewhere.”

Conestoga’s “Architecture – Project and Facility Management” bachelor’s degree program was recognized, as was Saxion’s “Bachelor in Facility Management” program. Conestoga has approximately 120 students in its four-year program, and Saxion has about 650. A formal recognition ceremony was held for Conestoga earlier this week; one for Saxion is forthcoming.

The recognition places the two schools alongside institutions such as Brigham Young University, Cornell University, FH Kufstein Tirol, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Leeds Metropolitan University. In total, there are seven recognized programs in North America, five in Europe and one in Asia.   

To learn more about the IFMA Foundation Recognized Degree Program and how universities can achieve recognition, or for a complete list of recognized schools, click here.

Established in 1990 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation and separate entity from the International Facility Management Association, the IFMA Foundation works for the public good to promote priority research and educational opportunities for the advancement of facility management. The IFMA Foundation is supported by the generosity of the facility management community, including IFMA members, chapters, councils, corporate sponsors and private contributors who are united by the belief that education and research improve the facility management profession. To learn more about the good works of the IFMA Foundation, visit www.ifmafoundation.org. For more information about IFMA, visit www.ifma.org.