Facilities Employees: Learning Today. Leading Tomorrow.
The Division of University Facilities is dedicated to providing first-rate service and maintaining a clean, safe environment. A key component of this is our commitment to provide our staff with access to various types of training. Each staff member has the opportunity to participate in professional development seminars, computer literacy training through the Division of Information Technology’sTechnology Training and Development Services, health and safety training through the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, informative personnel seminars through the Division of Human Resources, and job-specific skills training.
Computer stations are available around campus for our employees’ convenience. These stations, known as “Connect Corners” are available 24/7 for Facilities staff to use for Cornerstone training, or to access the Workday Human Resources system.
Training for Facilities Employees
University Facilities supports and encourages its employees to take advantage of training and professional development opportunities to enhance job skills, to promote career development, and to expand the knowledge base of the Division.
Classified, Unclassified, and Managerial employees who have been employed full-time at Montclair State University for a period of one year or more are eligible to participate in professional development and/or training activities which are directly applicable to the employee’s job responsibilities. The conference or course must be directly related to an employee’s present position or career potential. Employees must enroll in courses while employed by Montclair State University and have eligible employee status upon payment.
Where mandated by job title, staff are required to attend training.
Ineligible Employees
Full-time employees who meet the basic eligibility requirements but are in probationary, Leave Without Pay or disciplinary status are not eligible for reimbursement. Individuals whose job performance is not determined to maintain at least a satisfactory rating are not eligible for reimbursement. Part-time, Temporary, Student, and Contract employees are not eligible to participate in this program.
The employee will complete all Division and University forms and submit them to his or her department manager for approval. If the employee is being assigned to a development course by his or her manager, the manager will complete the forms on behalf of the employee and sign his or her approval. All forms must include written information about the conference or development course and the associated travel, lodging, and registration costs directly from the sponsoring organization and other authorized sources as specified by the Montclair State Travel Regulations policy.
If approved, the manager will forward the completed and approved forms to the department AVP for approval. If approved, the AVP will forward the forms to UF Learning & Development for processing and validation.
UF Learning & Development will review the forms, confirm that the employee is eligible to participate, and verify that funding is available before forwarding to the Vice President for final approval.
If after review of forms, the development opportunity or conference is deemed to not be directly applicable to the employee’s job, the request shall be denied by the Vice President. The employee then has the option to attend the development activity or conference on his or her personal time and expense.
UF Learning & Development will inform the requestor that the request has been approved (or denied).
The employee will fill out a spend authorization form in Workday. This form will require the VPUF to approve before any travel is taken.
After completion of the activity, the employee must submit proof of attendance. The employee must also provide a written report of what was learned within five (5) days of his or her return to work. Failure to provide proof of completion and the written report within the designated time frame will result in the employee assuming responsibility for payment for the activity.
The employee will prepare an Expense Report according to University guidelines and attach all required receipts in Workday. The GSA per diem rate pages are to be used for meal allowances. Take specific note of first and last day meal allowances and incidentals which are reduced to 75% of the GSA daily rates. Approval workflow includes your manager, the Facilities Training and Development Manager, the Vice President for University Facilities, and the Director of Facilities Financial Management prior to submission to Accounts Payable.
Expense Report – please use this form to be reimbursed for the expenses listed on your previously submitted Spend Authorization in Workday.
GSA website – Please refer to this website to search by city or zip code to get the correct rates to properly estimate your per diem rates (how much you can spend on lodging, meals, and miscellaneous expenses per day). These rates vary depending on the city to where you are traveling.
POV Mileage Reimbursement Rates – If you are driving a personal vehicle to training, the GSA Privately Owned Vehicle Mileage Reimbursement Rates webpage lists correct mileage reimbursement rates. Remember to get & save receipts for any tolls and parking. You will need to attach them to your expense report in Workday.
In October 2016, University Facilities implemented the Cornerstone Learning Management System (LMS). Cornerstone allows University Facilities staff to participate in online training courses and serves as a repository for tracking all training activities within the Division.
Welcome to Montclair State University. University Facilities is more than a workplace. We open the doors to opportunity at Montclair State and we are excited to share the mission of University Facilities.
Facilities 101 Workshop is designed to introduce employees to the culture of our division. New full-time hires are required to attend all acclimation and onboarding activities. Information communicated in the Workshop includes organizational structure, nomenclature, roles, responsibilities, expectations of employees and University culture. Supervisors must register attendees a week prior to the Workshop.
University Facilities acclimation and onboarding strives to:
Welcome employees to the Division.
Help employees develop positive working relationships by building a foundation of knowledge about the University’s history, mission, vision, values and culture.
Educate employees about their roles and how their contributions help achieve the University’s goals.
Provide information on University policies, procedures and operations.
Offer resources, assistance and paths for growth for each employee.
Create a sense of excitement about working in University Facilities.
Facilities 101 Workshop Instructor: Shakira Jackson, Manager of Facilities Training & Development WorkshopLocation: Facilities Maintenance Building room 1380
Operations Workshop Instructor: Jacqueline Alvarez
Workshop Location: Facilities Maintenance Building – 147 Clove Road, Little Falls
Employee Recognition Program: Honoring the Shining Stars of University Facilities
University Facilities hosts an annual employee recognition program in June, where staff achievements in leadership, education, job performance, exceptional workplace creativity, teamwork, and service milestones are highlighted. The highest honor, the John W. Dennis Leadership Award, is bestowed upon an employee with five or more years of service who has demonstrated exceptional abilities to lead, serve, inspire, and collaborate with broad impact. It is named in honor of John Dennis, a Locksmith and former president of the IFPTE Local 195 bargaining unit who worked at Montclair State from 1972 until his death in 2012.
Daniel Miller wins the 2024 John W. Dennis Award
John W. Dennis Leadership Award Honorees
2024 – Daniel Miller, Maintenance Worker 1 – Moving and Event Support Services
2023 – Kevin Lepore, Building Management Services Specialist, Facilities Maintenance & Engineering
Awards are presented annually at the University Facilities Division Meeting in the following categories: the Service Milestone Award, the Graduate Award, the Red Hawk Customer Service Award, the Star Teamwork Award, the Supervisor’s Award for Excellence, the Manager’s Award for Excellence, the Vice President’s Award for Excellence, and the John W. Dennis Leadership Award. The awards eligibility cycle is from July 1 through June 30; however, nominations for Kudos Awards are accepted year-round with certificates distributed to employees upon receipt of the nomination. Nominations are accepted through April 30th to be considered for the current year’s award cycle.
This is our highest award. It recognizes a full-time employee who is affiliated with the AFT, CWA, or IFPTE bargaining units who has demonstrated exceptional abilities to lead, serve, inspire and collaborate with broad impact. The John W. Dennis Award for Leadership recipient is selected by nomination and consensus of the Division VP and AVPs.
Nominated employee’s eligibility:
Full-time staff
Affiliated w/AFT, CWA or IFPTE bargaining unit
5+ years of service at Montclair or Bloomfield
Employee must be in good standing & not in discipline status.
The Manager’s Award for Excellence Criteria & Eligibility: This award recognizes demonstrated and consistent leadership and commitment to University Facilities and its values of Collaboration, Communication, Timeliness, Proficiency, and Sustainability. It is awarded to one Manager who embodies the spirit of teamwork and encourages success for the division and its employees. The recipient is selected by the nomination and consensus of the Division VP, AVPs and Supervisors.
Nominated employee’s eligibility:
Manager
3+ years of service as a Manager at Montclair or Bloomfield
Employee must be in good standing & not in discipline status.
The Red Hawk Customer Service Award Criteria & Eligibility: This award acknowledges praise and feedback received for noteworthy customer service. The recipients are nominated and awarded from service comments received from our customers, which can include University students, faculty, staff, visitors, and division colleagues.
Nominated employees’ eligibility:
Full-time or permanent part-time staff.
IFPTE & CWA employees must have successfully completed working test period
AFT & Managers- 6+ months of service at Montclair or Bloomfield
Employees must be in good standing & not in discipline status.
The Star Teamwork Award Criteria & Eligibility: This award recognizes an established team of employees or two or more individual employees who collaborated on a significant project or task in the past fiscal year. It honors demonstrated excellence in collaboration, commitment, innovation, leadership, and learning.
Nominated employee’s eligibility:
An established team of employees or a group of individual employees who collaborated to complete a significant project or task.
Employees must be in good standing & not in discipline status.
The Supervisor’s Award for Excellence Criteria & Eligibility: This award recognizes demonstrated and consistent leadership and commitment to University Facilities and its values of Collaboration, Communication, Timeliness, Proficiency, and Sustainability. It is awarded to one Supervisor who embodies the spirit of teamwork and encourages success for the division and its employees. The recipient is selected by the nomination and consensus of the Division VP, AVPs, and managers.
Nominated employee’s eligibility:
Supervisor
3+ years of service as a Supervisor at Montclair or Bloomfield
Employee must be in good standing & not in discipline status.
Employee Recognition Policy [under construction]Employee Recognition Nomination Form [under construction]
S.O.S. Campaign: Seeing, Owning, and Solving Maintenance Issues on Campus
Q: What should you do if you see something broken, out of place, or you just know, or feel, is not right?
A: Report the issue to the Facilities Customer Service Center or your supervisor so they may take appropriate measures to ensure it’s fixed.
University Facilities is excited to implement the employee awareness campaign S.O.S.: See it. Own it. Solve it. The goal of S.O.S. is to raise staff awareness of everyday campus maintenance issues and to help keep our buildings and grounds safe by reporting problems to the appropriate parties- even if they fall outside the scope of your daily responsibilities.