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Session 2315

Addressing the Management Crisis in Civil Engineering Education

Paul S. Chinowsky Georgia Institute of Technology

Abstract

The beginning of the 21st century is witnessing an awareness that the civil engineering industry has become a global industry. The rapid increase in foreign ownership of firms in the United States together with the globalization of economic markets is reminding civil engineering professionals that they must be aware of global events before they impact local operating conditions. In response to these developments, university programs must begin to broaden their focus to include subjects that address new economy realities. Specifically, the time has arrived to require students to have exposure to management topics such as entrepreneurship, financial management, and global economics. If the civil engineering industry desires to evolve into a new economy business, then it will require individuals who are as comfortable with the financial and technology components of the business as they are with design or construction fundamentals.

I. Introduction

The facts are well known to civil engineering and construction industry constituents and often documented and repeated by industry observers. An industry that is conservatively estimated to include over 250,000 companies and generate over $700 billion of annual revenue1 is attractive to analysts examining the health of the United States economy. However, the growth in these numbers over the last decade masks a looming crisis for industry organizations, the lack of managers prepared to lead and manage the industry into the new economy. Crisis is a strong word, is it appropriate for the current state of the civil engineering industry? The research indicates that it may not be strong enough.

As the world enters a decade that will be defined by globalization, economic interaction, technology integration, and rapid change, industries of all types are facing the challenge of managing these issues as they relate to their specific products or services. Although each industry faces unique concerns, a common thread for success is evident throughout, combining the elements of preparation and the knowledge to respond. The first of these elements, preparation, is the need to have strategic plans in place that address the future of the organization in a number of changing business environment scenarios. Each organization selects a unique path through the changing economy; a strategic plan provides a map for these organizations to follow as the path introduces unexpected turns along the journey. The second element, the knowledge to respond, is the primary focus of this piece. The ability of an industry to foster and promote the development of new knowledge by its workforce is the fundamental

Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2001, American Society for Engineering Education

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Chinowsky, P. (2001, June), Addressing The Management Crisis In Civil Engineering Education Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--8887