Jacobs Named UWs Roy L. and Caryl L. Cline Distinguished Professor in Engineering

Francois Jacobs has been named the inaugural Roy L. and Caryl L. Cline Distinguished Professor in Engineering, an endowed professorship administered by the University of Wyoming’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

“We are extremely grateful for Roy and Caryl’s generous and long-term commitment to the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences,” says Cameron Wright, Carrell Family Dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. “It is especially impactful when an alumnus of our program is moved to support future generations of our college and, through the Roy L. and Caryl L. Cline Distinguished Professorship in Engineering, they will continue to do so for many years to come.”

The professorship is in addition to the previously established Roy L. and Caryl L. Cline Distinguished Chair in Engineering, held by Haibo Zhai, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management.

Jacobs, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management, teaches and performs research that focuses on construction workforce development, business dynamics in family-owned corporations, assessment and integrated teaching platforms in construction education.

“I’m very honored to be named the inaugural Roy L. and Caryl L. Cline Distinguished Professor in Engineering,” Jacobs says. “I am deeply grateful to the Cline family for their tremendous support and partnership in helping the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences continue in its mission of training the next generation of outstanding professionals.” 

Both the Roy L. and Caryl L. Cline Distinguished Chair and Professorship in Engineering are supported from a generous gift by Roy and Caryl Cline, with the purpose of supporting the careers, education and research of faculty and students in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Roy Cline attributes his own professional success partially to his engineering education at UW, which gave him a foundational understanding of engineering principles and practices that served him well in the industry and the United States Air Force.

“My wife and I wanted to make a significant contribution to UW in appreciation for what it had done for my career,” Cline says. “UW gave me a good start in life with my education. From my perspective, it’s time to repay the university.”

Jacobs joined UW’s faculty in 2019 to develop and steer the new College of Engineering and Physical Sciences’ Construction Management Program, which has received full national accreditation status by the American Council for Construction Education this past August.

Under Jacobs’ leadership, the Construction Management Program has further extended its reach to working professionals in the construction industry through a workforce training program as well as a high school construction training program across the state of Wyoming. Jacobs also has launched a university startup company, the Assessment Institute, through IMPACT 307, a UW business incubator.

Additionally, the Construction Management Program has adopted a Teaching with Industry (TWI) initiative that welcomes the involvement of industry to the construction teaching platform at UW. Companies and/or individuals interested in being involved with the TWI initiative can email Jacobs at fjacobs@uwyo.edu.  

Jacobs has published peer-reviewed articles in leading journals as well as trade journals, both nationally and internationally. 

“Francois Jacobs is making lasting contributions to his field,” Wright says. “From the day he arrived at UW, Francois showed a strong commitment to improving the educational opportunities for all students. We are very proud of Francois and this outstanding recognition of his accomplishments.”