New UW Construction Management RSO Provides Professional Opportunities for Students

Several University of Wyoming students in the construction management degree program have recently formed a new UW recognized student organization (RSO).

Construction management is the newest degree program housed within the UW College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering. The program, led by Associate Professor Francois Jacobs, began the three-year road to accreditation by the American Council for Construction Education at the start of the fall semester.

Weston Fox, a senior from Antioch, Ill., is one of the first of about 60 students to declare construction management as a major. He was appointed president of the new RSO. Fox describes the group as a chance for students to get involved in a growing industry and gain professional networking opportunities.

“Construction management is an exciting and respectable degree that has a lot of opportunities right now,” Fox says. “Local construction companies have shown a lot of interest and excitement about the program, and we hope to use the club as an avenue of building relationships with these companies.”

The organization has invited several high-profile construction companies to its bimonthly meetings, including Swinerton and regional construction leader G.E. Johnson, which was the lead firm in the recently completed Engineering Education and Research Building, along with the new Science Initiative building under construction on the northwest end of campus.

In the first year, Fox and other members of the organization -- including Nick Harrison, vice president, of Colorado Springs, Colo; Tyler Larsen, secretary, from Sheridan; and Wyatt Yenney, treasurer, of Rock Springs -- hope the RSO will create internship opportunities for its members. In future semesters, they plan to attend industry conferences and apply for chapter certification through the Associated General Contractors of America.

Jacobs commends the students for their initiative and speaks to the critical nature of becoming involved with industry connections while attending college.

“In order for us to keep up with the demand for construction managers, we need to be enrolling more students each year in the program,” Jacobs says. “This student organization provides an additional enrichment outlet for them so they have a better chance to make connections before graduation and have a better career outcome.”

The construction management student group is in the process of creating an online presence on UW’s official RSO website at www.uwyo.edu/connect. Students are encouraged to email Fox at wfox2@uwyo.edu for information about joining or upcoming meeting dates.