Students from the facility and property management program received honors at an international conference of facility management professionals.

The students earned the awards while attending the World Workplace Conference associated with the International Facility Management Association last month in Dallas. Several competitions were held as part of the conference and scholarships were also awarded.

"Six BYU students each won scholarships, on top of which they earned a free trip to the conference," said Domineau Wiley, a junior from Sammamish, Wash. Scholarships awarded totaled $90,000.

The BYU contingent swept the competitions they participated in. In the ePoster competition, students made presentations about research they had conducted relating to facility management. Sam Kelly received first place honors, while Nathan Petersen and Tim Abbott received second place. No other awards were given for the contest.

In the Student Genius competition, teams were presented with a facility management problem and given four hours to create a solution.

"The teams were then judged by a panel of industry experts from different companies," said Nathan Petersen, a senior from Pocatello, Idaho. The BYU teams received first, second and third place in the competition, as well as an award for best presentation.

The students said they had high hopes for the future of the program.

"I think that if we have a strong presence of students winning each year, we'll be more recognized," said Tyrell Williams, a senior from Gilbert, Ariz.

The students also encouraged those who are undecided on a major to consider facility and property management.

"The FPM program is the best kept secret at BYU, and we're not trying to keep it a secret," Wiley said. "The opportunities presented to graduates of this program are amazing."

Bryan Jolley, president of BYU Facility and Property Management Student Association, said students in the program have good prospects for future careers.

"This program is ideal for those who want to be realtors, developers and designers." Jolley said. "We have 100 percent job placement upon graduation. There are more jobs than we can fill."



Copyright Brigham Young University 17 Nov 2008