The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) named Roger Williams University, Oregon State University and Pittsburg State University the nation's most outstanding student construction chapters of 2018. The universities were honored at the AGC’s annual convention in Denver last week.
"There's no more important goal for our industry today than to invest in its leaders of tomorrow," said Eddie Stewart, the association's president, who is president and chief executive officer of Caddell Construction in Montgomery, Ala. "These student chapters have helped cultivate the construction workforce of the future and have completed projects that improve their local communities."
The Roger Williams University Student Chapter won the Emerging Student Chapter Award for exceptional program building and phenomenal partnership with their local AGC Chapter.
The Oregon State University Student Chapter won the Community Service Award for its project benefiting a school that was gravely damaged following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
The Pittsburg State University AGC Student Chapter won the Construction Management Skills and Project Award for the renovation of a rail road bridge in Joplin, Missouri, showcasing how successfully they applied classroom knowledge to real world applications. The "Rails to Trails" campaign, organized by the Joplin Trails Coalition partnered with the AGC Student Chapter to remove existing railroad ties, weld a steel frame to the existing beams, pour and finish a concrete deck on the new frame, and install a metal and wood handrail system.
The three winning chapters received $2,000 each with a $1,000 travel stipend to attend AGC's Annual Convention. They were selected by a panel of judges made up of practicing commercial contractors. Student chapters were evaluated on qualifying criteria in each of the three categories and received their awards during the conference’s closing session.
