Like all areas of IP&O, Planning, Development, and Design (PD&D) is a statewide resource, but its staff spends much of its time in their offices at 33 Knightsbridge Road. To foster a better sense of engagement and enhanced relationships with internal university clients, beginning in 2021, tours were undertaken of recently completed projects on the RBHS campuses, Rutgers University--Newark, and Rutgers University--Camden. The PD&D team had an opportunity to experience the outcome of places designed while in the office, and meet in person those internal constituents whom they support.
“The events were a huge success, and our clients have a better appreciation of the wide range of services offered, and perhaps most important, the university groups we support now know who to contact, and have a better working relationship with IP&O,” said David Schulz, Vice President and University Architect.
PD&D has continued the Places and Faces tours, engaging with internal clients all over the state. The group recently toured the Camden campus and Frank Wong presented a history of the physical development of Rutgers, with a focus on Camden, to half a dozen people from the chancellor’s office. They toured SHI Stadium, and the host and tour guide from Athletics, Matt Colagiovanni, was kind enough to snap pictures of the PD&D team as the group toured the stadium.
According to Schulz, “Through the spring and summer, we will continue the program, taking a tour of Cook/Douglass to examine history and current projects, get a behind-the-scenes tour of dining operations, and visit the range of housing types, from old to new, that exist on College Avenue.”
He continued, “These trips away from our offices at 33 Knightsbridge Road give us in-person interaction with our university clients, and provide for a deeper level of engagement with our physical environment for staff who often work on the projects remotely from 33 Knightsbridge or maybe even from the home office.”
lunch on the Cook/Douglass campus.
Rebecca Garner, Senior Interior Design Specialist noted, “In addition to providing an occasion to be with our coworkers in a non-work activity, the tours of our campuses offer a unique opportunity to see the university from a new perspective. I am always pleasantly surprised by some fact or space I never knew existed. I have been to Camden many times but on a recent trip, we learned about the Peter Pan sculpture and the history of the beginnings and growth of the Camden Campus. These trips help us better serve our community and students.”
“I enjoy the PD&D tours because they help me feel more connected to the campus and to people I have emailed for years but never met in person,” said Marie DeFabritis-Azeri, Manager, Real Estate. “It’s also rewarding to see the impact our work has on the Rutgers community,” she added.
