Winter MiAPPA Conference
MiAPPA invites you to join us at the Radison Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo, MI, to share your best practices, innovative ideas, proven programs and projects with your facilities colleagues.
This conference will be focusing on Lean Spaces, Vibrant Places: how facilities can be designed, maintained, operated to maximize functionality and resourcefulness, while still fostering engaging, dynamic and inclusive environments for learning, collaboration and growth.
Lean Spaces, Vibrant Places Registration Now Open!
Event Details/Questions:
The event is scheduled for February 18 – 20, 2026, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel. To reserve your room at the Radisson Plaza Hotel.
For the conference event page, MiAPPA Winter 2026 – Lean Spaces, Vibrant Places.
If you have any questions, please contact Laura Cornish by email at laura.cornish@wmich.edu.
Best regards,
2026 MiAPPA Winter Conference Committee
Supervisor Toolkit is being offered at the conference. Register here.
Summer Conference 2026
Theme: Mission Critical – Critical Improvements to Infrastructure, Operations, and Other Pathways to Achieve Success
What is critical to achieving your mission? What changes impact your operation for the better? Share your success and best practices with over 250 active Michigan facilities professionals! We want to showcase what works in your operations! MiAPPA invites you to submit your proposal to share your best practices, innovative ideas, proven programs and projects with your facilities colleagues at the 2026 MiAPPA Summer Conference taking place at the Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island.
The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday, March 16, 2026 by 11:59 p.m.
Physical Infrastructure: What changes have you made to achieve your mission? Have you reimagined academic or office space at your institution. Re-energized buildings to adjust to the changes in your institution. Critical repairs to your learning environment. Large scale projects to improve your university.
Operations: What is critical to the operational success of your institution. Out of the box partnerships, hiring, retention, staffing shortages. Planning for retirements, departures, succession planning, there are adaptations in how we perform our operations due to many changes in our people and culture!
Technology Infrastructure: Technology is ever changing! How are we using that to better our operations and help us to answer immediate needs of our campuses? Do we plan for infrastructure needs. Can we plan for change, or respond to it? Can we utilize advanced technology in all aspects of the facilities operations. Grounds, Custodial, Maintenance, Energy, what evolving technology have we put into place? How has it impacted our operations?
Budgeting: Our budgets can change based on enrollment, administration projects, new expectations and budget realities. Creative ways to address change and managing the same expectations with increased costs and shrinking budgets.
Proposals should be a minimum of two of the noted topics and align with the theme stated above. Priority will be given to submittals that include demonstrated successes (case studies) and innovations that offer inspiration and excellence in addressing key challenges. Proposals should showcase the portability of these successes. If you have a topic that will be of significant interest to the audience, but may not align exactly with the theme, you are still encouraged to submit your proposal for review.
The Mission Critical MiAPPA Summer Conference is hosted by Ferris State University and Grand Valley State University – June 3 – 5, 2026. Questions regarding the conference can be directed to Michelle Holstege (holstegm@gvsu.edu) at Grand Valley State University.
Look for details on the hotel soon!
PAST CONFERENCES:
Boyne Highlands – Summer 2025 MiAPPA Conference Evolving Facilities: A Mountain of Change.
Summer MiAPPA Agenda
Presentation Slide Decks:
Optimize to Maximize – Smithgroup, Tricia Beck
Modeling Energy Conservation at Scale – Affiliated Engineers, Andrew Price
Michigan State University – Winter 2025 MiAPPA: Celebrating a Multi-Generational Campus.
We would like to thank Michigan State for hosting the first Winter Conference since 2020! They did a great job. Below you will find some of the slide decks from the conference.
Agenda
Slide Decks by Tracks:
Track 1: Sustainable Infrastructure and Energy
Energy Efficiency: Where’s the Bang for your Buck?
Airflow Optimization for Decarbonization and Energy Efficiency
The First Step to Carbon Neutrality: Calculating Your Energy Efficiency
Avoiding Common Pitfalls with Heat Recovery Chiller Applications
Track 2: Innovative Campus Design and Planning
Harmonizing Spaces: Integrating Biophilic, Regenerative, and Universal Design to Promote Belonging
Designing with Input: Leveraging Stakeholder Feedback for Innovative University Learning Spaces
Leveraging Accreditation and University Alignment to Define Needs
WMU’s Mass Timber Adventure
Track 3: Facility Management and Operational Excellence
Custodial Department Evaluation
ASHRAE 62.1-2019 IAQP Made Simple
Michigan MEP Code Updates
The Old and the New
Track 4: Heritage Preservation and Modernization
Marygrove Conservancy: Maintenance and Upgrades Case Study
Bridging Eras: Preserving MSU’s Heritage While Building for the Future
Reimagining Existing Buildings
Harmonizing Heritage: Redesigning a Historic Music Building for Modern Education
Track 5: Friday Track
Campus-Wide Impact: How Innovative Project Delivery Strategies Can Influence Change
Leveraging Clear Goals to Enhancing Functionality, Identity, and the Student Experience
Revitalizing Campus Spaces: The Story of Secchia Piazza
Empowering a Multifaceted Team
2024 MiAPPA Boyne Highlands Presentation Slide Decks & Descriptions
Boyne Highlands Friday keynote by Jennifer Fields regarding Prevailing Wage is available for your reference.
It has been requested that we post the past conference agendas for use in continuing education credits. They are listed below:
Accounting Facilities Forum
Future Proofing Outdoor Sports Complexes
Lean Into Unique Projects
The Power of GIS
The Whole Wall: Case Studies in Integrated Wall Systems
2023 MiAPPA Mackinac Island Presentation Slide Decks & Descriptions
Focused Renovations – Monroe CC
Physical Security in Higher Ed Environments – People Driven Technology
Putting the Fun in Project Closeout – MSU/Miller Davis
Understanding the Ins and Outs of Sustainability Reporting – GVSU/Nichols
“Where’s the Men’s Room?” TMP Architecture
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations and Your Campus – PBA
2022 MAPPA/MiAPPA Joint Conference
2022 MAPPA/MiAPPA Presentation slide decks & descriptions
Please note not all presentations have been received.
2022 SummerMiAPPA Conference
Please note that the presentation, 10-Year Implied Warranty on Public Bond Projects by Miller Canfield and Allana Buick & Bers, has a very strict copyright restriction with each slide stamped. No slide can be reproduced without the written permission of Karim Allana, Allana Buick & Bers and James Spurr, Miller Canfield.
2019SummerMiappaConferenceAgenda
Winter 2019 MiAPPA Conference Agenda
2018 MiAPPA Summer Conference Agenda
Winter 2018 MiAPPA Conference Agenda 2.26.18
2017 MiAPPA Summer Conference Agenda
2017 Winter MiAPPA Agenda
Summer 2016 MiAPPA Conference
Winter 2016 MiAPPA Conference
