William (Bill) Anderko: One Facilities Member Brings His Love for the Built Environment to Campus

Walking through campus today, it is hard to miss the various renovations going on. These renovations are part of extensive projects, spearheaded partly by members of the Facilities team, to enhance the physical space of Haverford into a beautiful and functioning environment. The role of Facilities on campus can be complex, but for those involved, it’s also a rewarding experience.

William (Bill) Anderko, assistant director of facilities management, is one of those people helping to maintain Haverford’s campus. Anderko’s excitement for buildings, renovations, and structural projects has been present long before coming to Haverford. A native of Pennsylvania, Anderko graduated with a degree from Penn State in Architectural Engineering and a MBA from Temple.  It’s safe to say Anderko has committed a majority of his career to understanding and managing the built environment both on college campuses and within other organizations. Before arriving at Haverford eight years ago, Anderko took on different responsibilities within facilities management at the University of Pennsylvania, serving as the Director of Operations & Engineering for the School of Medicine; Director of Maintenance & Operations for the medical, dental, veterinary and nursing school; and also serving as the University Engineer.

Since arriving at Haverford, Anderko said that he has had the pleasure of working on several projects, which largely include “planning, project management, and utilities.” He also indicated that part of campus planning includes mapping buildings and understanding the ventilation systems within campus structures.

“What interests and excites me about my work is the unique challenges and hurdles that each project presents, working through their resolution and getting to physically see, use & enjoy the results of our efforts.”

Anderko also noted that there are other components of facilities which include Maintenance and Housekeeping and Grounds and Arboretum.

Facilities also works with a wide range of people, including contractors and customers who need support in a variety of projects like roofing, heat ventilation, and painting projects. Thus, one of the many things Anderko enjoys about his job is that each day looks different from the one before. He also enjoys the opportunities to interact with both students and faculty on campus.

“We, Facilities, are here to support their work.  So we get to work with a great number of individuals across campus, on a wide variety of project types,” Anderko said. “As work is planned & executed, issues are identified & solved, that series of successes builds strong working relationships.”

Students may assist with some projects as well. For example, students help update the reports from the Geographic Information System (GIS), a tool used in conjunction with Google Maps to coordinate appropriate space planning initiatives.

Facility members also help faculty members plan projects. For instance, facilities may work with faculty members from the science building if they need help with heating, ventilation, or other renovations.

Anderko highlights that a profession in facilities or design engineering can be both exciting and rewarding: it provides an opportunity to meet with many different people from different backgrounds and varying interests. In his free time, Anderko spends time with his family and works on projects at home.