What do flawless landscaping, spotless dorms, meticulous maintenance and hungry goats have in common? They’re all vital to preparing college campuses for new and returning students this fall. We talked to three of National’s valued directors about their summer projects and what makes the National approach for each campus different.
The Essentials
There are the obvious tasks that need to happen all over campus each year.
Lance Knight, National Director of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta: We have a general routine that we go into every summer in terms of residence halls and academic spaces to refresh and revitalize. Our primary targets are identifying issues and needs. So, painting, patching, basic maintenance and so forth are key.
Preparing the campus is also about safety.
Mike Ingram, Tennessee Wesleyan University Director: Our maintenance team checks all electrical and life safety devices, HVAC systems, makes any repairs, or whatever is needed
And of course, there is landscape maintenance.
Ingram: We work really hard the weeks leading up to students arriving to make sure every flower bed is done.
Michael Coniglio, National Director at LaGrange College: One of the large things we do is the athletic fields. Summer is when we do all the renovation work in anticipation of the student athletes arriving in August.
Knight: Our mission is that we want it to look like a move-in day 365 days a year. We never know when there’s a potential student or donor or board member that’s going to show up on campus. So that’s the attitude we have. And that’s what we strive for.
More than Appearance
Although it’s important, a first impression isn’t simply about how the campus looks. It’s also about a safe, friendly, inviting and comfortable environment – especially for incoming freshmen. And that’s where National really shines.
Ingram: For a lot of students, it’s their first time away from home, and so they see a housekeeper every day who smiles at them. It reminds students of their family, and they might feel more comfortable talking with our staff than they do a faculty member. So, I think we play a pretty big role in student retention and making these students feel at home.
Knight: These campuses are small communities, and everybody recognizes faces. It might be one of our maintenance staff walking across campus, and a student asks them a question that has nothing to do with maintenance. ‘How do I get to this building?’ or ‘Have you seen this jacket that I lost?’ People know when they see our folks that we’re trying to help. We’re here to go above and beyond.
Flexible and Creative
Flexibility and creative solutions are key during this time. National staff has to be agile enough to address unique challenges. Oglethorpe University had a few this summer.
Knight: We have a large construction project that’s going on, so we worked with the school on developing logistics plans for new student move in days: how we get people moving around campus, what’s safe, and making sure we’re following the right city codes. Also, with the film industry in Atlanta, we just wrapped up a shoot this week, and we helped set the stage, so to speak, for film crews to come in.
And what about those goats?
Knight: We’ve got about 40 acres of woods. But a lot of it is overgrown with kudzu and ivy. So, late this summer, we worked with a local goat farmer who dropped off about 50 goats to our space. We let them go to town until they ate all of it. It was an inexpensive way to get in areas that would cost a lot of money with actual human beings – and it helped from a sustainability and energy management standpoint. It was a big hit for the campus.
The National Difference
So how does National make a difference in everything that needs to be done before students arrive? 
Knight: We’re not a third party. We’re known as Oglethorpe’s maintenance group, so they really look to us to do things that other departments are just not willing to tackle or take on. We’re autonomous and can take care of things.
Coniglio: We’re integrated at every level of the college, so we get treated very much like the campus community. When there’s a large construction or expansion project, National has a voice. I’m very honored by that.
Why We Do It
What it really comes down to is the students, especially this time of year.
Knight: The ultimate goal for the university is to recruit, educate, and put leaders out into the world. We’re here to provide the information so administrators can make decisions about facilities management and not get in the weeds with a lot of the day-to-day stuff. That’s an important part of my job.
Ingram: It’s an exciting time for our staff to have the students back. I mean, that’s why we’re here, to mentor these students and get them to the point in their life where they’re ready to make the world a better place. I think our part in that is an important one and we try our best to do it well every day.
For more information on how we can help your campus shine for the new school year, reach out to us at any time.