The construction industry, which is served
by academia, should help evaluate university CM programs
and speak out on how well the universities are doing.
Evaluating the Program
educational system's support of the industry's needs:
To establish a core curriculum which would be adopt-
Having been privileged to be the first Chair Professor
ed by all universities to serve more consistently the
in charge of the graduate-level Construction Engineer-
industry and for the industry to express a stronger
ing and Management course and having overseen the
beginning of the instructions in the spring of 1984, I
voice in measuring academia.
was interested to know how well our course correlated
The present perception of success at universities is
often based on the amount of research money collect-
with other university courses and also with the indus-
ed and how they compare to other universities in their
try's needs. An evaluation of the latter was based on
peer group. This approach seems somewhat off target
five inputs: the Associated General Contractors had
because engineering is a science and management is
completed a study involving 431 responses; The Busi-
an art. It is not only difficult but also inappropriate for
ness Roundtable, 112; Project Management Institute,
engineering colleges to evaluate success and manage-
59; Frederick Mueller's independent study for a doc-
ment training in the same way as they do engineering
torate degree, 44; and the earlier mentioned University
of Maryland survey. By evaluating these data, we were
education. Scientists are not necessarily good manage-
ment teachers. Therefore, the industry served by aca-
able to provide a list of sought-after skills in a single
demia should help evaluate university programs
industry.
through the quality of the product and speak out on
We then surveyed the 44 universities mentioned
how well the universities are doing.
above. They were fairly well distributed geographical-
ly-8 in the far west; IO, mid-continent; II, midwest;
TndEinegdtuhceairtiprnoagl rsaymsstefmrsdienvehloepUn.S.carnestsrtuecatdioiln
7, northeast; and 8 in the south. This distribution
H
o
t
y
meant that not only did we see what was happening in
expa
o
i g o
that regard regionally, but we were also able to bring in
engineering managers. This effort is timely-in fact,
all major schools in the country that have construction
overdue if the U.S. engineering and construction in-
engineering and management programs. The courses
dustries are to keep pace internationally and domesti-
offered by these universities parallel quite closely the
cally by becoming more efficient at the project and
industry's needs. For example, among the IO courses
program levels. Even so, academia should not proceed
appearing most often in the university survey, seven of
without carefully targeting their efforts at the needs of
them are mentioned in the broad industry survey
the industry that their products will enter.
which differed somewhat from the more limited Uni-
The trick to total success depends on close and
versity of Maryland survey of industry leaders. We also
continuing relationships between the universities and
found that only four universities (9 percent) provided
the engineering construction industries to develop a
all seven and about 30 percent offered at least six. (The
core curriculum for construction engineering courses
University of Maryland was one of the four universities
and to establish, within industry, a mechanism to
that provided all of the courses requested by industry
evaluate how well the product being provided by our
in the survey.)
universities meets their needs. Bringing these two
| Planning and Scheduling
elements together will require co-ordination and plan-
| Contract Law
ning. SAME, as part of its support of "More Construc-
| Project Management
tion for the Money" endeavor, seems a likely and
|Construction Methods
qualified candidate to guide and manage this much-
| Cost Estimating/Engineering
8
needed effort.
| Engineering Economics/Cost Control
| Decision Making
LTG John W. Morris, USA (Ret.), is Chair-
man and CEO of PRC Engineering Group,
Four subjects on the industry list were not included
McLean, VA. As a professor at the University
in the education institute survey results: Human rela-
of Maryland, he developed a g r a d u a t e
tions-leadership; and financial, human resource, and
course and was designated to fill the Con-
struction Engineering Management Chair.
business management. These four courses would be
He has extensive experience in contract ad-
appropriate ones to be offered by the College of
ministration, project control, and construc-
Business.
tion management. In 1980, Genera/ Morris
retired as Chief of Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers. He has
received many awards, including a Presidential Citation for Manage-
Improving Support to the Industry
ment by President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1977, he received the
"Construction Man of the Year Award" from Engineering News-
Besides learning about the close correlation be-
Record and was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering.
tween the needs of industry and the university offer-
General Morris is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and holds a
ings, we identified two opportunities to improve the
Master`s degree in engineering from the University of Iowa.
584
THE MILITARY ENGINEER, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 1986
G-3
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