Scholarship Helps Integrate Roofing-related Materials into Curricula

Faculty members from construction management schools at Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.; Colorado State University, Fort Collins; and the University of Florida, Gainesville, have been named the first recipients of The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress‘ Construction Management Faculty Scholarships.

Each faculty member received $5,000 to help them develop a plan to integrate roofing-related materials and case studies into existing curricula.

The Alliance created the scholarships though an educational partnership with the three universities and will work with them to incorporate more roofing-specific curriculum into their construction management undergraduate degree programs; provide scholarships to students and faculty; and develop internship programs with roofing contracting companies, manufacturers and distributors.

The first Construction Management Faculty Scholarship recipients are:

Jonathon Elliot, assistant professor in Colorado State University’s Department of Construction Management. Elliot earned his Ph.D. and Master of Science degree at Colorado State and also has a Bachelor of Science degree from the Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, Pa. He currently teaches the Construction Engineering II and Graphic Communication/Revit Courses at Colorado State.

James Sullivan, assistant professor at the Rinker School of Building Construction at the University of Florida. He obtained his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Florida and also has a Master of Building Construction Degree, Master of Arts in Mass Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Advertising. Sullivan’s emphasis is on sustainable construction estimating and techniques and worker productivity training. He also worked as a project manager, contract manager, and statistician for the University of Florida, Clark Construction, and Hines.

Jacqueline Thompson, assistant professor at the McWhorter School of Building Science at Auburn University. Thompson earned her Ph.D. in construction management and Master’s in Environmental Planning from Arizona State University, Tempe. She teaches Construction Methods and Materials, Sustainable Construction and a graduate course in Real Estate Development at Auburn. Her research focuses on construction sustainability with a special focus on understanding the role of subcontractors in achieving sustainability in the built environment.

“We’re thrilled to have such talented people getting involved with our industry, and in particular developing course material that will include roofing-related information,” says NRCA Executive Vice President William Good. “We think it’s crucial for all construction management students to understand how important, and how complex roofing is. NRCA looks forward to working with even more construction management schools in the future.”

The plan is for research to be completed by Oct. 30 so materials can be introduced into construction management departments beginning in 2015. The final report will include the learning outcome(s) to be addressed by the integration of roofing-related materials and case studies into construction; an outline of the subject matter and topical content that will be taught in the class, as well as the roofing-related materials and case studies used; and details of the assignment used to assess the learning outcome(s).

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