Virtual Connections

“Remote” learning doesn’t have to be a solitary experience if you are lucky enough to have engaged professors. Just ask José R. Febres, P.E., D.Eng. (M.S. ’12), who earned his master’s degree in Energy Management and an advanced certificate in Facilities Management from New York Institute of Technology while studying online. “The professors at NYIT are very responsive. I always felt very connected to them,” Febres says.

Even now, a few years after graduating, he reaches out to his professors to keep them abreast of his professional aspirations and achievements. He’s also visited the Long Island campus on more than one occasion to speak with students about his work in facilities management. Most recently, Febres was a featured speaker at NYIT College of Engineering and Computing and Sciences’ 14th Annual Energy Conference where he shared insights on facility condition assessment, an analysis of deficiencies in a building’s critical systems to help develop improvement strategies.

Febres, who hails from Puerto Rico, was already armed with a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s in engineering management from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico when he decided to pursue further studies. He looked for a program that would enable him to sharpen his facilities management skills while working full time. NYIT fit the bill. The classes gave him valuable insights into the evolving world of facilities management. “Before, it was mostly about keeping buildings up and running,” Febres says. “Now, it’s a lot about cost savings and doing more with less.”

Febres puts his knowledge gleaned through NYIT into action as a technical compliance officer for the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. His work spans everything from interpreting building codes to defining ways to ensure energy management. “What I like the most about facilities management is that it’s a multidisciplinary field,” he says. “There’s some engineering, some business. There’s constant learning.”

Febres clearly enjoys learning, whether it’s in a higher education setting or through seminars and conferences. He recently received his Doctor of Engineering in Engineering Management from George Washington University, and he earns continuing education credits by attending seminars through FEMA and other organizations.

“Every single day is a new experience,” he says.