School of Engineering Receives $500K Endowed Professorship from SICAP
The Southern Illinois Construction Advancement Program (SICAP) of the Southern Illinois Builders Association (SIBA) has donated $500,000 to the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Engineering (SOE), funding the first professorship in the School’s history.
The SICAP Endowed Construction Management Professorship will be used to provide annual or multi-year award(s) to one or more faculty members of the SOE Department of Construction to honor excellence in scholarship and to recruit and retain exceptional faculty.
“The Department of Construction and SICAP have a long-standing partnership to improve the talent pool for the construction industry in our region,” said SOE Dean Cem Karacal, PhD. “This generous gift is a tremendous help in strengthening faculty in the department, and we are sincerely thankful for this support.”
An award selection committee will be chosen by the Department of Construction chair, in consultation with the dean of the SOE. Endowment interest earnings may be used to support research projects, purchase equipment, fund travel and costs associated with research or education related conferences, hire student workers or research assistants, fund course buyouts, cover faculty summer salary, or increase the size of start-up funds for new hires.
“SICAP/SIBA believes it is imperative that SIUE has the resources to retain the faculty necessary to teach and train future generations,” said SIBA CEO Donna Richter.
SICAP’s gift brings the total endowed funds for the Department of Construction to over $1 million. Previously established funds include the Ralph F. Korte Scholarship Endowment for Construction Management, the Department of Construction Endowment, the Land Surveying Specialization Program Endowment and the Department of Construction Faculty Advancement Endowment.
“We are grateful for SICAP’s partnership in supporting construction management faculty by developing this endowed professorship,” said SOE Associate Dean Chris Gordon, PhD. “This investment in our construction management faculty will in turn enhance the preparation of our graduates to thrive in the rapidly advancing building industry.”
The Southern Illinois Construction Advancement Program (SICAP) serves as the unifying force within the Southern Illinois construction industry and develops programs aimed at opportunities for the betterment of all aspects of the industry. SICAP supports the Southern Illinois construction industry by promoting safety and accident prevention in the industry; supporting educational seminars and training programs for all industry personnel; supporting economic development programs for the benefit of the industry; conducting community education and public relations programs to benefit the industry by educating both the mass media and general public about the critical role the construction industry plays in helping assure economic development and job growth across all sectors of the economy; promoting affirmative action, equal employment opportunity and business diversity efforts to support our neighbors, our communities and our construction industry.
