From the Desk of Executive Director Bryon Short
From the Desk of Executive Director Bryon Short - February 24, 2023
After a bit of a hiatus, it was great to join the Construction Engineering and Management Department at UD for its 4th annual class celebration. This strong program was stood up just a few years ago and has grown every year producing tomorrow’s construction industry leaders. DCA and our members have been proud supporters of the program as it sets its sights on being the most impactful CEM program available.
The students work both in the classroom, in the field and even abroad as they build their knowledge. Research is a critical component of the program and DCA has served as a resource to the program. I connected with Professor Ri Na at a prior year celebration which spurred her to reach out to DCA seeking help with a research project funded by the Center for Integrated Asset Management for Multimodal Transportation Infrastructure Systems (CIAMTISO). The research focused on construction blueprint reading and BIM Assistance. DCA connected the researchers with several of our members to assist with the project. Last year, the research was presented with a nice thanks to DCA for our support.
We were pleased to support the research and look forward to continuing to support the CEM program as it is supporting the construction industry. As in previous year annual CEM celebrations, it was nice to see so many of DCA’s members: Bancroft Construction, EDIS Company, Gbuild Construction Managers, Whiting-Turner Construction and Wolshen. Apologies if I missed someone.
The Department had a real loss last year with the passing of its leader, Professor Edgar Small, but it is making a point of ensuring Professor Small’s vision continues. During the evening’s comments it was made clear that the program’s goal is to be the best available to those seeking to become construction professionals and it will only grow its students headcount in a way that allows it to maintain the highest instruction quality and learning environment. As the program is in demand, it will be approaching its ideal enrollment soon. Striving to be the best of the best is an important goal and the CEM program at UD is moving steadily forward to be the leader!