Facilities Services has formed two special teams to enhance its ability to serve the campus community.
Dave Irvin, associate vice chancellor for Facilities Services, said the teams were created as a result of the department’s reorganization plan, which took a closer look at how Facilities Services can best fulfill the needs and mission of the campus.
Irvin said the teams—the STAR Team and the Rapid Response Team—will address the campus’s immediate and ever-changing needs by supplying a cadre of skilled workers.
The Special Team to Assist Research (STAR) Team will quickly convert needed laboratory space for new and existing faculty. The campus is working to address significant deficiencies in laboratory space. The six-member team will help fill those immediate needs for renovation and equipment installation.
The Rapid Response Team, led by Dennis Lee, who began his career at UT in the transfer and hauling department thirty-seven years ago, will support key campus initiatives such as the moving of offices, opening new buildings, hanging banners, or the special preparatory work involved in an academic accreditation visits, Irvin said.
“Our goal is to provide a level of service that should be expected at a Top 25 public research university,” Irvin said. “Our department plays a critical role in supporting these efforts by maintaining and improving our key facilities and buildings.”
Derek Bailey is the general superintendent of the STAR Team. He understands the unique needs of researchers. His work history includes stints working in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and the parasitology lab in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Bailey said the teams also will work on proactive and predictive maintenance programs to improve campus infrastructure over time.
“I’m very excited to be a part of this new and innovative role that Facilities Services will play in the future of the university,” Bailey said.