CIM and SDSU: A Good Fit
“The selection committee, made up of NSC and NCR members, overwhelmingly agreed that SDSU was the most logical and best choice for us,” said Eugene Martineau, CIM NSC Executive Director. “SDSU’s prior experience with public/private partnerships, combined with how the Lohr College of Engineering stresses developing programs that engage industry needs, were critical in our decision making. It was obvious that working with industry is not something new to the university. During our visit to SDSU, it was evident that the president and provost down through the dean and department heads were all-in for establishing a CIM program.”
“The CIM degree is a really nice fit for us,” said Teresa Hall, who leads SDSU’s Department of Construction and Operations Management. “If you look at a Venn diagram, you have construction management and operations management and the CIM degree comes up between the two of them, so it works,” Hall said. “While the degree is very focused on a particular material, it’s one that goes hand in hand with construction since concrete is used in virtually every form of construction.”
“We are in an interesting place within Lohr College and the School of Design,” said Hall. “We have everything on the design-build continuum. There are a lot of great things happening at SDSU and there is no reason this degree program shouldn’t flourish.”
According to Art Thompson, NCR Site Selection Committee Chairman, there were multiple career openings last year for every CIM graduate. “These jobs include substantial starting salaries as well as full complements of benefits. For any student who is considering a career in a construction related industry, I would highly encourage them to learn more about the CIM program.”