UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As the multi-trillion-dollar construction industry continues to grow year after year in the United States, the need for skilled construction engineers has become increasingly vital for the field. The construction engineering and management (CEM) program in the Penn State Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering aims to provide students with the educational and leadership skills they need to help maintain and continue this growth in the field.
Within the program, students have the opportunity to learn to develop effective managerial techniques with the art of planning, designing and executing projects from their inception to their end, while considering factors such as time, cost and quality oversight — all tools students need to succeed in their careers, according to Ahmed Khalafallah, The Beavers Charitable Trust and Allan Myers Professor of Civil Construction Engineering and Management at Penn State.
Khalafallah’s sentiments may ring true for many CEE students and construction companies, as evidenced by the popularity of the program among students and industry participation alike. The program had the highest enrollment out of all the civil engineering focus areas in the spring 2024 semester, and it is shaping up to be one of the fastest growing programs within civil engineering. Additionally, The Beavers Charitable Trust and 15 construction companies — Allan Myers, ARCO Design/Build, Brayman Construction, Entact, Glenn O. Hawbaker, Inc., Jacobs Engineering Group, J. D. Eckman, Inc., Kiewit Corporation, Kinsley Construction, Lane Construction, Mascaro Construction, New Enterprise Stone & Lime, Trumbull Corporation, Turner and Whiting-Turner — are contributing to the program and serving as stakeholders on the program’s advisory board.
The success of the CEM program today can be attributed to its historic foundation and the work and passion of two Penn State CEE alumni, Robert Alger and George Mezey, who graduated from the program in 1979.
Legacy of excellence
When the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was passed, the United States began planning for the design and construction of the interstate system of highways. The need for skilled civil engineers was increasing across the country. Wanting to contribute to this workforce demand, Penn State professors Harmer A. Weeden and Thomas D. Larson established the CEM program in the 1960s.
Jack H. Willenbrock and H. Randolph Thomas, Jr. were brought on to lead the program in 1968 and 1975, respectively. The program expanded to include research opportunities, industry collaborations and numerous courses that addressed societal needs in the construction field as well as prepared students for the fast-growing construction management workforce.
Over the years, the department hired professors to help teach the variety of courses offered, both undergraduate and graduate, and by 2007, about one-third of CEE undergraduates were obtaining employment in the construction industry.
A shift
Fast forward to 2011 and CEM courses continued to be taught at Penn State; however, because of shifts in staffing and funding, the program’s capstone course was no longer offered.
At the time, Alger was serving on the Industrial and Professional Advisory Council (IPAC). Seeing these changes, he said was determined to give the same opportunities to current students that he was able to have during his time at Penn State.
“When I decided to take a leave from IPAC, Patrick Fox, the CEE department head at the time, asked me to rejoin,” said Alger, who was the president and chief executive officer of The Lane Construction Corporation for 20 years and is currently the president of lump-sum turnkey projects at AtkinsRealis. “I said on one condition: that we re-establish the CEM program in civil engineering. He was a huge fan of the idea, and that was how it came to be. I then called George and asked for his help in getting this up and running.”
Just like Weeden and Larson in the 1960s, Alger and Mezey said they saw a need for the program and an opportunity for Penn State students.
“Because of limited class offerings in the program, students were missing the opportunity to explore and learn necessary skills for their desired career path,” said Mezey, retired president of the Trumbull Corporation. “We wanted to make sure that students who wanted to go into construction were still looking at Penn State.”
Re-building what once was
The two alumni got to work, and by 2021, The Beavers Charitable Trust and Allan Myers Endowed Professorship in Civil Construction Engineering and Management was established thanks to a $3 million commitment made up of a $750,000 gift from the Beavers Charitable Trust, an additional $150,000 gift from Allan Myers, Inc. and numerous gifts from other donors.
Alger and Mezey created the program’s advisory board to secure more funding and collaborate with donors, alumni and industry professionals to ensure their voices were being heard during the revitalization of the CEM program and to allow them to collaborate with faculty and students.
In spring 2023, the CEM program capstone course was brought back, and students could choose CEM as a professional area of study within the civil engineering degree program at Penn State.
Growing opportunities
The program is currently led by Thomas Skibinski, associate teaching professor of civil engineering, and Khalafallah, who also serves as the CEM program focus area coordinator. Housed within CEE, the program is one of six technical specialization areas that civil engineering students can choose from.
“The current CEM program aims to give students the necessary tools in estimating, scheduling, project management, equipment and safety, to be better prepared to enter the construction industry,” Skibinski said.
The advisory board’s ongoing participation in the CEM program has allowed for real time feedback and real-world views from the construction industry and has given students in the program a chance to see what it’s like to work in the field, according to Mezey.
The program’s industry partners offer students opportunities for gaining experience in the field, including working on real-world projects, internships, guest lectures and mentorships.
“Ahmed and I are very glad that this focus area is back in the CEE department, and I know our alumni are very happy as well,” Skibinski said. “Looking forward, we would like to continue to increase our advisory board membership, and we are always looking for companies to contribute and collaborate with. Our students graduate with a degree in civil engineering so they’re very flexible and very versatile in both construction and engineering. This program makes them more well-rounded.”