Steve Miszuk, Director, Planning & Infrastructure - Office of the Dean, discusses his latest role in his long history with the Faculty

How long have you worked in this role? Can you describe what you do?

I am just coming up to my first anniversary with the Faculty on May 26th. My responsibilities include strategic planning for Faculty space utilization and infrastructure upgrades, including capital projects and renovations, from the conceptual stage, through design development and costing, supporting applications for funding and approvals, and, hopefully, through to facilitating implementation. In tandem with this aspect of my role is a facilities management component, liaising with Facilities and Services to ensure that their annual and deferred maintenance plans complement the Faculty’s own space plans and, where possible, to negotiate scheduling their major activities for maximum benefit to the Faculty.

I work closely with the Departments and Institutes to resolve spaces issues equitably, ensuring that the central space inventory is kept up to date through the AFD (Accommodations and Facilities Directorate) application and approval process. Other areas I am involved with include Joint Health and Safety Committee issues, building security, emergency response and business continuity planning, and operations issues within the Decanal Units.

Prior work experience and background

I have a long history with the University of Toronto and the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, being a Civil (7T8) graduate and first working for the University as a summer student in 1977 following the fire that decimated the Sandford Fleming Building and severely affected the Galbraith Building with smoke and water damage. I was hired by Facilities and Services (then Physical Plant) to assist the Property Manager with bringing the Galbraith Building up to full operating capability for the fall term.

Following graduation I returned to work for Facilities and Services as a Property Manager, working my way up into a management role, and then moving on to manage Trade Services, the in-house, skilled-trades group which at the time consisted of approximately 80 tradespersons and staff, operating on a full cost-recovery basis.

Following that assignment I moved to Capital Projects as a Senior Project Manager, working on some notable projects, such as the Structural Genomics Consortium renovations in the Banting Building, the Bahen Centre 6th floor renovations for the Mathematics Department, and several Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering projects, including the SOCAAR renovations in Wallberg, the ECE Undergraduate Computing Labs renovations in Sandford Fleming, and the early stages of the Civil Structural Lab project in Galbraith/Sandford Fleming.

During my time with Capital Projects I accepted a secondment to UTM as the Director Campus Infrastructure and Facilities, on an interim basis, for seven months in 2007. In making the move last year to my current position, I truly felt I had come full circle.

If you had unlimited resources to do your job, what would you like to see more of?

The space review being led by Ron Venter will be finalized shortly and it will come as no surprise to most that one of the main challenges for the Faculty is the inadequate quality of the majority of our existing space. There are many older buildings in the Engineering precinct that have not seen major upgrades in decades and do not meet all of our present day needs. Ideally, if resources were not an issue, we would prioritize our renovation needs and embark on a planned, ongoing program to upgrade our buildings and infrastructure to ensure that the high quality space the Faculty needs to maintain its standing among international engineering schools is available.

What part of your job do you enjoy the most?

What I enjoy the most is the variety the position offers, both in terms of project work and the diverse nature of the faculty, staff, and students I get a chance to work with. The Faculty attracts the best minds from around the world and to be a part of the team is to be in a privileged position.

Tell us one thing that you want to do and haven’t accomplished yet (personally or professionally)

In all of my previous positions I stepped into well-established roles and while they all had their challenges, they also each had their own set of preconceptions. My current position is new to the Faculty and I look forward to being able to develop the role based on the needs of the Faculty, in conjunction with the Departments and Institutes, tailoring the services provided. This is a different type of opportunity, one that I have not experienced in the past, and one that I am excited to move forward with.

What book are you currently reading?

The Amazing Mycroft Mysteries, an omnibus that collects three books written by H.F. Heard between 1942 and 1951 as a homage to Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Mycroft was the name of Sherlock’s older (and wiser) brother, and, in these novels, serves as the surname of a rather eccentric detective who solves diabolical murder mysteries on both sides of the Atlantic, including one where anthrax is imbedded in the gumming of a return envelope. Very simple and effective, with the evidence returned to the perpetrator.

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