Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

If you have not already heard, our department’s latest fresh­men enrollment figures were nothing short of remarkable. Construction engineering posted a 7 percent and civil eng­ineering an 8 percent increase in enrollment. This is the largest enrollment increase the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE) has seen in the last seven years, and it represents 11 percent of the enrollment increase at the university. Of course, this all proves once again that the road to CCEE’s success is well-paved with many good signs!

First, our incoming students surely know that an education in civil, construction, and environmental engineering is a hot ticket to a great career these days. Iowa State’s recent largest-in-the-country engineering career fair yet again drew record numbers of employers and nearly half of them (189 out of 389 total) were hoping to hire our outstanding CCEE graduates.

Second, our incoming students clearly expect to receive a top-notch education when they arrive in Ames. They’re taught by faculty with world-class levels of knowledge and experience plus, for the vast majority of our faculty, a PE license to confirm their professional quality. Within just the past year, we’ve also had faculty Larry Cormicle and Kelly Strong recognized as best-in-the-nation educators by the Associated General Contractors of America and Design-Build Institute of America, respectively; David White honored with the American Society of Civil Engineering’s top geotechnical faculty award; and Hans Van Leeuwen awarded a co-recipient of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers’ best research prize. Additionally, several faculty—including Van Leeuwen for biofuels; Terry Wipf, Brent Phares, and Lowell Greimann for bridge design and safety (see our Web site at www.ccee.iastate.edu/alumni for details); Max Porter for masonry systems, Halil Ceylan for waste lignin reuse; and Sri Sritharan for seismic engineering—have been featured prominently in national media highlighting their recognized areas of specialization.

Third, our department took a proactive approach to the worrisome news about declining high school demographics within our Midwest recruiting region by aggressively spreading the word about the great opportunities CCEE provides. Spearheaded by yet another of our highly dedicated faculty, Chris Williams, the department’s new recruiting committee crafted a promotional brochure and video earlier this year designed specifically to spread the good news. When combined with the creative and hard-working talents of our communications, administrative, and advising staff—Dana Schmidt, Nancy Qvale, and Ted Millen—and the committee’s faculty members—Amr Kandil and F. Wayne Klaiber—the obvious cause-and-effect outcome of this committee’s efforts was immediately evident with Web site visits by prospective students and their families literally skyrocketing almost overnight!

Lastly, if you’re in the area, alumni visits are always welcomed and encouraged. We’d love to show off our brand new Kiewit Student Study Center and the renovated Highway Design Classroom (see the opposite page for more details). In fact, you’ll find we’ve even added a new ping-pong table in the lobby intent on helping students, faculty, and yes, even alumni, forge entirely new avenues for academic exchange and collaboration.

Go Cyclones!

James E. Alleman
Department Chair, Professor