IFMA Foundation Launches 2021 Eric Teicholz Sustainability Facility Professional® (SFP®) Scholarship Program
HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA – IFMA Fellow Eric Teicholz and the IFMA Foundation have established the Eric Teicholz Sustainability Facility Professional® (SFP®) Scholarship. The scholarship is open to young professionals with a demonstrated financial need who are currently working in facility management (FM) or a related field and are interested in attaining a specialty credential in sustainability.
IFMA’s SFP is an assessment-based certificate program that teaches facility managers to take a comprehensive approach to sustainability, focusing on data-driven analytics in managing the built environment. Those who earn the SFP gain recognition for expertise in sustainable FM practices, while positively affecting their organization’s economic, environmental, and social bottom lines.
Facility management is a US$1 trillion global industry. More than 25-million facility professionals worldwide are on the frontline of efforts to reduce fuel and resource use, minimize waste and site impact and improve indoor environmental quality. These responsibilities constitute a special challenge in the context of an expanding urbanization that is currently expected to double the world’s building stock over the next 30 years.
“In recent years, many of us have been feeling an increased sense of urgency about the environmental impact of the built environment. In particular we are concerned about the quantity of energy consumption and the extent of pollution production involved in its construction, management, and maintenance,” said Eric Teicholz. “Through the establishment of this scholarship I hope to create a legacy to support a future generation of facility managers in their study and mastery of climate science as it relates to the built environment.
“We have been living through a pandemic that has led to profound changes in how we live and work — even perhaps slowing for a moment the steady march of climate change and its recent spate of droughts, destructive fires, and floods,” said Teicholz. “We can only hope, as our lives get back to the new ‘normal,’ that we do not return to our pre-pandemic wasteful levels of energy consumption and pollution. I hope and look forward to seeing that these scholarships create a new generation of facility managers who will have the education, commitment and the relevant competencies that will result in a sustainable future for generations to come.
Skill sets taught in the SFP program result in a better understanding of climate change and how buildings can be managed to reduce negative environmental impact. Sustainability skills will remain essential for facility managers in the foreseeable future and will increase the leadership potential for those with demonstrated expertise in maximizing efficiencies, streamlining building operations, and implementing projects that save money and positively impact the community.
Those interested in applying for the Eric Teicholz Sustainability Facility Professional Scholarship can learn more at https://foundation.ifma.org/students-academics/scholarships/eric-teicholz-sustainability-scholarship/
About the IFMA Foundation
Established in 1990 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and a separate entity from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), the IFMA Foundation works for the public good to promote leading research and educational opportunities for the advancement of facility management. The IFMA Foundation is supported by the generosity of the FM community including IFMA members, chapters, councils, corporate sponsors, and private contributors who share the belief that education and research improve the FM profession. To learn more about the IFMA Foundation, visit foundation.ifma.org.
About IFMA
IFMA is the world’s largest and most widely recognized international association for facility management professionals, supporting 23,000 members in more than 100 countries. This diverse membership participates in focused component groups equipped to address their unique situations by region (142 chapters), industry (16 councils) and areas of interest (six communities). Together they manage more than 78 billion square feet of property and annually purchase more than US$526 billion in products and services. Formed in 1980, IFMA certifies professionals in facility management; conducts research; provides educational programs, content, and resources; and produces World Workplace, the world’s largest series of facility management conferences and expositions. To join and follow IFMA’s social media outlets, visit the association’s LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr pages. For more information, visit ifma.org.
About Eric Teicholz
Eric Teicholz, IFMA Fellow graduated with a master’s degree in architecture from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, where he later became an Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the university’s largest R+D facility, the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis. He also is the author/editor of 17 books related to FM, CAFM/IWMS and GIS technology. Teicholz was awarded the U.S. Navy’s Superior Public Service Award by the Secretary of the Navy under President George W. Bush for his participation on a blue-ribbon FM panel defining the future strategy for naval shore facilities.
For more information Contact:
Diane Levine
IFMA Foundation
+1-562-449-8998
diane.levine@ifma.org
