From the Department Head

The late Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Change is inevitable. Change is constant.” So it is at Colorado State University’s Department of Construction Management. Former Department Head Larry Grosse has retired, and I am serving as interim department head. The entire department extends heartfelt wishes to Larry for happiness and success in all his endeavors. He has left this department with a strong foundation that will support even greater accomplishments.

As with many organizations in today’s marketplace, our program is transforming itself to meet the challenges of the future. We are calling the 2007-08 academic year The Year of the CM Family, because strengthening our family will be key to successfully addressing our greatest challenges: undergraduate enrollment growth and faculty recruitment and retention.

The most valuable asset to any organization is its people, and the CM department is fortunate to have talented and passionate faculty and staff. But for our program to develop and rise to a new level of excellence, we must first create a culture of excellence – an environment that provides support for our CM family members who, in turn, support our students and our industry.

With the dramatic increase we have seen in our program’s enrollment over the last decade, the need for additional qualified CM faculty members has become paramount. One of our top priorities this year is to attract outstanding new faculty members and inspire them to join the CM family.

Preserving the quality of our faculty is also crucial to our program’s continued pursuit of excellence and the vitality of the construction industry, as it is our faculty members who educate and prepare the industry’s future leaders. Our faculty also fuel intellectual and economic progress by participating in critical research that directly impacts the future of the industry.

Thanks to the great faculty and staff we now have, and also the unflagging support of you – our industry, alumni, and friends – we have made great progress. Our research productivity is high; our CM family members are recognized locally, nationally, and internationally; and our students consistently receive high marks and acclaim at national and regional competitions.

Our program has a solid foundation, and our CM family has what it takes to achieve our goal of becoming the best CM program in the nation. It will take hard work, planning, and commitment from everyone. We will succeed, because we are all part of one family and share one important mission: to make a difference in the lives of others while also enjoying our own. With this mission guiding us, we will develop a community of excellence that will sustain our program and transform challenges into opportunities.

It is my privilege to be a part of our CM family and share in the vision, energy, and excitement that make our work most interesting and rewarding.

Mostafa Khattab
Interim Department Head