Love the look of UCI? You can thank Jim Hay

Facilities’ director Jim Hay has devoted his career to making UC Irvine shine.

Back in junior high, Hay hung out at his friend Stuart’s house in Corona del Mar, where he’d see maps of the soon-to-be built University of California campus in Irvine. Stuart’s father was Founding Chancellor Daniel Aldrich Jr., and, although Hay didn’t know it then, he was looking at maps of his future ? at UCI.

“I never imagined I was looking at the place I would spend my entire career,” Hay recalls.

Hay came to work at UCI in May 1972 ? the same week he was relieved of active duty from the U.S. Navy Reserve ? and never left. He worked his way up, sometimes at night while he attended California State Long Beach, and in 1999 he became director of buildings and grounds, skilled trades and renovations. His responsibilities have grown with the campus.

To understand the scope of his job, consider the numbers. UCI has 1,475 acres to maintain, more than 170 buildings, 12 miles of roads, 60 parking lots, 24,000 trees and miles of irrigation pipeline. Sprinkler heads? Don’t even go there.

To keep it all humming, Hay oversees more than 125 staffers and 200 contract employees.

“We maintain everything inside the buildings, from the flooring to the ceiling tiles, and outside, too,” he says. “It’s a huge job.”

Often, one can spot Hay wandering the campus, occasionally pausing to pick up a piece of trash. It’s something he saw Chancellor Aldrich do; now he and most of his employees do it, too.

Key campus landmarks hold personal memories for him. He helped install the 430-pound bronze anteater, a gift from the class of ‘87, outside the Bren Events Center. Then there’s the Aldrich memorial. Built by his staff in 2000 in honor of his former neighbor, the stone memorial in Aldrich Park is one of his favorite spots.

Today, Hay’s greatest challenge is recruiting and retaining staff on a tight budget to keep up with the growing campus. But there’s no place he’d rather work.

“If the campus is clean, if the grass and trees are green, and the aesthetics inside and out are acceptable, I get a lot of satisfaction,” he says. “With this job, you can actually see the results of your efforts.”