Each year, APPA members bestow the Meritorious Service Award upon an individual member or members who have made significant, life-long contributions to the profession of higher education facilities management. The award is the highest individual honor the organization bestows.

Qayoumi said he was honored to have received the recognition from his peers.

"It is always gratifying to know that what you are doing is helping to advance the profession that provides critical service for colleges and universities in achieving their mission," he said.

James O. Roberts, director of the physical plant at Campbell University and a member of APPA's board, hailed Qayoumi's commitment to his profession.

"No other person has been more dedicated or interested in the advancement of knowledge through educational programs than Mo," Roberts said.

APPA was founded in 1914 in Chicago by representatives of 14 Midwestern institutions. More recently, membership has grown from 100 in 1970 to currently levels of more than 4,700 members.

The association's name changes have reflected the expanding responsibilities of facilities management departments. Organized originally as the Association of Superintendents of Buildings and Grounds, the association later became the Association of Physical Plant Administrators of Universities and Colleges. In 1991, the current name was adopted to reflect increased campus responsibilities.

The APPA honor is the second national distinction Qayoumi has received this summer. Qayoumi was recently appointed to the 2004 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award.

Named for the late Malcolm Baldridge, U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 1981 to 1987, the award is given by the President of the United States to outstanding businesses, education and health care organizations. Created by public law in 1987, the award is considered the highest level of national recognition for an organization's performance excellence.

Qayoumi was appointed senior examiner by Hratch Semerjian, acting director of the Commerce Department's National Institutes of Standards and Technology, who manages the Baldridge award program.

Qayoumi came to Cal State Northridge in 2000 from the University of Missouri, Rolla, where he was vice chancellor of administrative services. He has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. At the University of Cincinnati, he earned a master's in nuclear engineering, a master's in computer engineering and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and an M.B.A. in finance.