Original Date: 11/17/1997
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Elizabethtown College was founded in 1899 by the Reverend Jay G. Francis and members of the Church of the Brethren. During its first two decades, Elizabethtown College functioned as a college and as an academy for high school students to bolster its teacher training program. In 1921, the College became accredited by the State Council on Education, and bestowed its first baccalaureate degree. The success during the 1920s was soon replaced by the hardships of the 1930s. Despite calls to close down the facility, the spirit of perseverance at the College carried it through those trying times. After World War II, Elizabethtown College again saw prosperity, and became accredited by the Middle States Association in 1948 and the American Council of Education in 1949.

From its modest beginnings with three teachers and six students, Elizabethtown College grew in size and stature to become one of the most highly regarded, private, liberal arts colleges. Since 1994, the College has been consecutively ranked in the top five for Regional Liberal Arts Colleges (North) by U.S. News & World Report. Situated on a 185-acre campus in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, Elizabethtown College accommodates a student body of 1,550 full-time undergraduate students with 152 full-time and part-time professors. The College offers a comprehensive curriculum in liberal arts with major studies in the arts and sciences; pre-professional programs; and interdisciplinary programs. Its fiscal budget for 1997 was $38.5 million.

The BMP survey focused on Elizabethtown College’s Department of Plant Operations which is located on a peninsula at the north end of the campus; employs 55 personnel; and had a fiscal budget of $3.2 million in 1997. The Department’s responsibilities are divided into three groups: Environmental Services (e.g., administration, academia, residential); Maintenance (e.g., general repairs, grounds, safety); and Office Support (e.g., work orders, warehouse, delivery). In addition, Plant Operations uses a cross-functional team approach to support its groups, promote high quality delivery of services, and ensure consistency with the Department’s mission, goals, and objectives. Among the best practices documented were Plant Operations’ recycling; performance contract; and managing change through a team environment.

Since 1992, Plant Operations has been evolving into a unique facilities management group built on trust, reliability, visibility, and credibility. Guided by its director’s leadership, the Department created a service-oriented ethic and team atmosphere; placed value on its employees as well as their skills and knowledge; improved communication at all levels; strived for continuous improvement in work quality and customer satisfaction; and established itself as an integral part of Elizabethtown College’s educational process. This new attitude and outlook boosted the Department’s self-image, and established a working relationship with the campus community. Plant Operations soon began receiving praises and awards from faculty and students who consistently rate the Department among the top performing organizations on campus. In addition, Plant Operations’ efforts provide valuable benefits and annual savings for Elizabethtown College through preventive maintenance, Green Lights programs, Habitat for Humanity, In-Service Day, and other projects.

Elizabethtown College’s centennial will virtually coincide with the turning of the century. The College plans to build a celebration around three themes: lifting up the achievements and heritage of its first hundred years; envisioning new possibilities for the future; and repositioning itself in the context of history, society, and the educational marketplace. The Department of Plant Operations will likely be doing the same. The BMP survey team considers the following practices to be among the best in industry and government.

TABLE OF ACRONYMS
The following acronyms were used in this report:

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.