beautiful view of clemson university historic building on a sunny day

Clemson University started a series of articles that will highlight behind-the-scenes employees, what they do and how they are making life better for those living and working on campus. The first installment focused on the 430 full-time employees and 80 contracted custodians of Clemson University Facilities. The university reported, "Without them, the huge, complex machine that is Clemson University would come to a grinding halt."

University Facilities is reportedly made up of seven departments: Custodial services; Planning, design and construction; Maintenance services; Landscape services; Recycling services; Support services; and Utility services. Members of the team can be found cleaning around the clock, cutting grass, planning flowers, climbing into manholes, tending to the fleet of over 300 vehicles, working on HVAC, in the woodshop fixing windows or doors, etc. 

The article also outlines the requests from students, faculty, and staff that come through the Facilities' headquarters. The 24/7 operation fields hundreds of requests every month. In 2024, Facilities crews carried out 28,540 corrective work orders and 22,011 preventative maintenance work orders. 

The scope of services for University Facilities is long, but the workers love it and the people they serve are grateful. 

“You can see that in the custodial staff," says Chief Facilities Officer Todd Barnette. "If we try to move a custodian because we’ve got a need in another place, I usually hear from somebody in the building who says, ‘You can’t move Mary because she’s our custodian and we love her!’”

Kathy Hobgood, who oversees the University’s housing and dining operations as associate vice president for Auxiliary Enterprises, says the Facilities staff’s indefatigable commitment to the place and people they work for has an impact far beyond clean bathrooms, green grass and properly air-conditioned offices.

“Front-line staff are the heart and soul of the Clemson Family,” Hobgood says. “When Clemson Home does student satisfaction surveys, we always ask for the names of a few community members that have made a difference to that student. While faculty and advisers are well represented, a large percentage of the names shared are those of our custodial, maintenance, and dining staff. As day-to-day members of a student’s community who see them daily, they are often the first to see them, cheer on successes, and notice when someone is struggling. They truly make Clemson home.”

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