Awards and Scholarships
The Department of Construction Management is one of the nine departments located in the College of Applied Human Sciences. The scholarship endowment funds within the college total almost 4 million dollars. In addition, departmental students may be eligible for additional scholarships identified as "All College" or "Education". Also located in the Guggenheim Building is a bulletin board that additional privately awarded scholarships and applications are posted..
The process for applying for scholarships is university-wide and involves filling out just one application to be eligible for various scholarships. You must be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student in one of the Departments or Schools in the College of Applied Human Sciences, or a teacher licensure student to be eligible. The process opens December 1 and applications are due March 1 (11:00 p.m. MST). For complete application instructions and information on scholarships, please visit the College of Applied Human Sciences website at http://www.cahs.colostate.edu/Students/Scholarships/.
Over fifty-five students and coaches participated in this year’s Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) competition in Reno, Nevada February 12-14, 2009. It was gratifying to see over 1,300 students, coaches, and industry members participating in one of the most challenging and rewarding construction education events in the US today.
We are proud of the professionalism and dedication of our students. The following teams placed and were recognized during the competition:
First Place: Commercial Team (The team will now travel to San Diego to participate in the AGC national competition.)
Third Place: Design Build Team
Third Place: Heavy Civil Team
On behalf of our department we would like to thank our team sponsors, team coaches, and students who participated in the ASC competition. We all look forward to next year’s competition. Our participation would not have been possible without the generous support of our friends and colleagues in our industry.
First Place: Commercial Team
Bolivar Senior, Coach
Mike Hamline, Evan Petkash, Lara Jolly, Ashley Linfield, Jordan Heberlein, Brian Rankin, and Brent Haselden. |
Third Place: Design Build Team
Scott Schuler, Coach
Steve Jaouen, Co-Coach (not pictured)
Derek Duran, John Anst, Joseph Houtz, Alex Senta, Joseph Bair, Brady Poepping, and Joshua Neill |
Third Place: Heavy Civil Team
Ron Holt, Coach
Terrance Unrein, Blake Courtney, Sergio Ortiz, Rachel Schanel, Derek Sanchez, Brady Babbitt, and Nathan Kimberlin |
The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA). GTAs are evaluated by their students on their successful performance in the classroom, positive attitude, personality, enthusiasm and commitment to excellence. Out of a possible 4.0 evaluation points, all of this year’s award recipients received a score of 3.8 and above.
Jon Elliott
Jon has a B.S. in Construction Management from Pennsylvania College of Technology. He is currently working on a M.S. in Construction Management and started his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Education/Construction Management at CSU this fall. He has worked in the CM Department as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the past five semesters teaching the laboratory component of Construction Estimating I and II. Jon enjoys teaching Construction Estimating I the most because he’s had the opportunity to create and develop original teaching material. This has allowed him to watch the class evolve over time and has helped him to learn which exercises and in-class examples are the most effective for classroom teaching.
Jon feels that the best way to engage students is to “show them that you really care about them and their success in the class.” Additionally, "because many students feel that estimating won’t apply to them if they’re not an estimator when they graduate", he tries to "help students understand that estimating is an important skill that they will likely use on a regular basis when they enter the construction management field."
Jon feels that working as a GTA in the CM Department has been especially beneficial because "the Department gives their TA’s the opportunity to take ownership of their role as a teacher, as opposed to just grading and handing out premade lab assignments."
After Jon completes his graduate degree he would like to acquire a teaching position at an ACCE accredited construction management program.
Francois Jacobs
Francois completed most of his education in South Africa, graduating from Glenn College in Agricultural Engineering and an IMBA from the University of Denver. He worked for 12 years in the construction insurance sector, with experience in construction mitigation and disaster assessment where he enjoyed working both nationally and internationally with major insurance carriers.
Francois has been a GTA for one year and has taught Estimating II for the past two semesters. His industry background, which revolved around job costing, fits well with teaching this course. Francois is teaching the Estimating I Lab this semester.
Francois’ teaching philosophy is student-centered and his teaching style depends on the extent of diversity in his classroom. He believes that “each student is unique in terms of his or her academic history, learning and life experiences.” His syllabus includes an “open door policy”, allowing students the opportunity to speak freely during and after class.
Francois’ research is focused on Lean Construction with an emphasis on (TWI) Training Within Industry. He hopes to complete his research outline and find a company that will support his research initiatives this semester.
Jesse Plata
Jesse has a B.S. in Interior Design from the University of Texas, Arlington. He worked as an Architectural Technician for HOK Architects in Dallas, Texas from 2004 – 2008.
Jesse has been a GTA lab instructor for CON 265 – Estimating I for the past three semesters. He really enjoys teaching this course because "it introduces students to plan reading. It is important that they receive a strong foundation in this course because it will help carry them through their future construction management courses." Jesse feels that one of the benefits of being a GTA is the experience gained in instructing and public speaking. Also, because of the personality mix of our students, "instructing these labs is a lot of fun."
Jesse likes to engage students in the classroom by "eroding the line between instructor and student." He limits lectures so students have more time to work in class on their lab assignments. This enables him to spend more time giving students personal help on any problems they encounter.
Jesse is very interested in construction waste recycling and deconstruction and would like to explore the possibility of starting a business that would offer these services in the residential market.
The National Housing Endowment was established in 1987 by the National Association of Home Builders to help the industry develop more effective approaches to home building, enhance education, train future leaders in residential construction and increase the body of knowledge on housing issues. The endowment does this by supporting innovate and effective programs that further education, training and research. The cornerstone of the National Housing Endowment’s education program is the Homebuilding Education Leadership Program (HELP) which is a long-term commitment to award seed grants to leading two- and four-year colleges and universities to help them create, expand or enhance existing residential construction management programs or develop new programs in that academic area.
Ben Bigelow
Ben Bigelow was awarded a grant from the National Housing Endowment to fund a study he is conducting. The pilot study found that construction management students at CSU who were involved in residential construction competitions averaged higher starting salaries and GPAs than those who didn’t enter construction competitions. The $4,294 grant will allow Ben to expand his study to include students at eight universities that have participated in similar residential construction competitions.
Ben has a B.S. in Construction Science, a M.S. in Construction Management and is currently working towards his Ph.D. in Education/Construction Management. Aside from his current study, he would like to research the effects of the English/Spanish language barrier on construction productivity and the negative perceptions of the construction industry among young adults. Ben owned and operated his own residential remodeling company from 2000—2005, worked as a field manager for Centex Homes from 2005-2007 and was a teaching assistant at Arizona State University, Del E. Webb School of Construction (2007). Ben is presently a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the CM Department where he is a lab instructor for Construction Estimating II this fall and was the instructor of record for that same class in 2008-2009.
Faculty and Staff Awards
Associated Schools of Construction Teaching Awards
The ASC is the international association representing the interests of both academic and industry professionals interested in institutional construction education. The purposes of the association are to establish the objectives and goals for the development of construction education and to assist institutions of higher learning in their establishment and development of these objectives and goals within their respective universities.
The ASC is committed to fostering excellence in construction communication, scholarship, research, education and practice. It is the professional association for the development and advancement of construction education, where the sharing of ideas and knowledge inspires, guides and promotes excellence in curricula, teaching, research and service.
Scott Glick
Scott started teaching at CSU as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) in 2004. He taught as a GTA lecturer and adjunct faculty for 3 ½ years before becoming an Assistant Professor in 2007. Scott has received a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from the University of Northern Colorado; a M.S. in Construction Management from Colorado State University; a M.P.A. in Public Administration from the University of Wyoming and his Ph.D. in Education and Human Resource Studies from Colorado State University.
Scott has taught Construction Materials and Methods, Estimating I, Advanced Construction Systems, Financial Management for Construction and Advanced Estimating. Scott enjoys teaching Estimating because "students are beginning to understand how things connect", Financial Management for Construction because "it ties aspects of business and personal finances together" and Advanced Estimating because the class is composed of “really sharp people.” He feels that Construction Materials and Methods is the most challenging because “it is a freshman course and the concepts are foreign to most students.” Scott has been the Team Coach for the ABC and LEED Competition Teams and is the faculty advisor for the Emerging Green Builders Club.
Scott likes to present course material in multiple formats to keep his students involved. He believes that an instructor must "spend as much time as it takes" for students to get an understanding of the material and he likes to "challenge them to think outside the box". He pushes his students to ask the "what if’s" and to question "how could this be done differently?"
Scott is presently redesigning two courses, CON151 and CON 265, to include 3-D computer models.
Angela Guggemos
Angela is an Assistant Professor, Assistant Department Head and Undergraduate Program Coordinator of the CM Department. She has Ph.D., M.S. and B.S. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Angela has developed construction management curriculum for Egyptian, Palestinian and U.S. university students. Her research integrates concepts in economics, engineering, management, environmental science and public policy. Angela has over five years of experience in the construction industry on tenant improvements, seismic retrofits and historic renovations for commercial projects as well as sewer line maintenance and rehabilitation for a government agency.
Angela has been teaching at CSU since 2004 but has prior teaching experience dating back to 1995. She’s taught Project Scheduling and Cost Control, Applied Project Management, Financial Management, Advanced Construction Estimating and Construction Project Administration. Angela enjoys teaching Project Scheduling the most because “I think it’s a perfect blend of technical and managerial skills.” Angela has served as Faculty Advisor to the AGC Student Chapter and the Women in Construction Student Club since 2006.
Angela’s teaching philosophy can be summed up in one word, "connection." She believes that students must master theory before applying it to the world around them and that technology (often software) is a tool that makes the process easier. Once students have a strong foundation in theory they can think critically about the world of software. Too often, students who only focus on the software cannot provide thoughtful analysis of its output. One of Angela’s favorite teaching moments is when a student comes to her office to show her the output from a software tool and says "I’m glad I understood how this was supposed to work. The output didn’t seem right. I was able to trace back through my input and found an error. Now the results make sense to me." She knows that, at that point "the student has made the connection by mastering the content, applying it to the problem and analyzing the results. I also know that student will think more critically when using other technology in the future."
Angela is looking forward to working in her new role as Assistant Department Head and Undergraduate Program Coordinator. She also plans on continuing her work on sustainable development and construction with a long-term goal of creating a sustainable community in Egypt that can be used as a learning lab for U.S. and Egyptian construction students to design and build sustainably.
Mike O'Reilly
Mike is a licensed professional engineer (P.E.) in the state of Colorado, and has been teaching at CSU for almost nine years. He holds a B.S. in Building Construction from Virginia Tech and a M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of South Carolina.
Mike has been involved in the construction and engineering fields for approximately 30 years. His construction experience includes field engineering and foreman work for several commercial contractors on the east coast, as well as frame and finish carpentry, concrete formwork, structural steel detailing and other "hands-on" construction work. His engineering background includes six years as a structural engineer with the US Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), and another six years as a structural engineer for Fort Collins based EDM International, with whom he remains associated for occasional projects.
Mike teaches all sections of both Structures I and II, which means that he has the unique opportunity to teach every student who comes through the CM program. He enjoys relating with his students and feels that his "real world" emphasis is what makes his classes enjoyable for his students. He uses many physical models and demonstrations, wanting to give the students a solid conceptual “feel” for a particular engineering concept prior to any related number crunching.
Mike spent five years as a furniture frame patternmaker prior to his construction/engineering work, and keeps his hand in woodworking by making wooden coffins. He loves teaching so much that he hopes to continue to do so "until they carry me out in one of my own boxes."