Associated General Contractors (AGC) of East Tennessee is providing continued support to the UTC Construction Management program with a $50,000 grant, part of a three-year $150,000 commitment. AGC is very pleased with enrollment of the program; there are 43 students currently registered for fall 2009 and there are 63 students enrolled in the program, according to Dr. Neslihan Alp, Director of Engineering Management and Graduate Programs and UC Foundation Professor.
“This program has been put together because of the demand in Chattanooga and surrounding area. There is a shortage of qualified employees in the Construction Management field and this is the second growing industry in the U.S. On the other hand, there are not many schools that are offering this degree in the southeast region; therefore, this program will strongly benefit the industry by graduating good and quality graduates that are ready for the workforce in the Construction Management area,” Alp said.
Construction Management is the first four-year degree program of its kind in the state of Tennessee with a B.S. degree in Technology. The construction industry was heavily involved in curriculum preparation and the 2+2 articulation agreement with Chattanooga State and Cleveland State. Similar programs in the state are more technical or materials oriented while UTC’s courses in this program are more technology and engineering management driven.
AGC has created a scholarship which is awarded to students who are in the construction management or related programs. Last year six UTC students benefited from this scholarship.
“We are hoping more students benefit from the AGC scholarship during the 2009-10 academic year,” Alp said. The deadline for the spring applications is November 6, 2009 and the application form can be found at http://www.agcetn.org/pdf/Education/2009/2009Application.pdf
A successful Construction Management program information session was held earlier this month on campus. Attendees included representatives from AGC of East Tennessee, Tennessee American Water and from major construction companies including T.U. Parks, DBS Corporation and Rentenbach. UTC and Chattanooga State faculty and administrators answered questions posed by current and prospective students.
For additional information, please visit http://www.agcetn.org and http://www.utc.edu/construction.
