CSI Cincinnati
The Construction Specifications Institute
National Resources:
Students
2009 CSI Cincinnati Scholarship Recipients
The Academic Affairs Program - One of the better kept Institute secrets
The PRM - the Perfect Text Book for Teaching Construction Documents
2009 CSI Cincinnati Scholarship Recipients
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Stephen M. Eckhardt Cincinnati State Technical and Community College |
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Margaret (Meg) Hannigan Northern Kentucky University |
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Paula E. Pavlyak Cincinnati State Technical and Community College |
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Philip Rowe University of Cincinnati College of Applied Sciences |
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James Taylor Northern Kentucky University |
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Ashley Wallis University of Cincinnati College of Applied Sciences
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At the November 2009 Chapter Meeting, T.J. Dunhoft, CSI, Academic Programs Chair, presented scholarships to six outstanding students studying in construction related fields. The Students were presented by their advisors, Sean Foley; Northern Kentucky University, John Buttelwerth; Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and Mousa Gargari; University of Cincinnati School of Applied Sciences.
We congratulate the fine work these students have accomplished and wish them well in their future careers in the Construction Industry.
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From Left to Right: Phillip Rowe, Ashley Wallis, Stephen Eckhardt, Paula Pavlyak, Meg Hannigan, James Taylor
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The Academic Affairs Program - One of the better kept Institute secrets
Although most CSI members are familiar with CSI’s Certification Programs, Technical Programs such as MasterFormat or the new PRM, and Education Programs such as the CSI University or Audio Exchanges, few are familiar with the Institute’s Academic Affairs Program.
This is unfortunate as the Academic Affairs Program is one of the few Institute Programs where the primary activity occurs at the chapter level. This program provides an opportunity for one or more chapter members to become involved in an Institute Program and these chapter members can make a difference in the implementation.
The Academic Affairs Program purpose is quite simple. As stated in Institute Policy, it is to: “Increase recognition of CSI’s value at academic institutions, provide curricular and extracurricular resources essential to the educational foundation of academic institutions, and to foster the relationship with academic institutions for the advancement of new knowledge in the construction industry”. The intent of this program is to introduce today’s students to the various CSI programs and practices that they will encounter when they enter the workforce and to expose them to “real-world” issues while still a student. The better the student understands the current industry practices, the easier it will be to transition into their career. The program is also to provide a mechanism for new design/construction technologies that are developed at educational institutions to be exposed to the practicing professional.
The implementation of this program can not be done from a central location or with a single document. Each higher education institution is unique and academic programs are not identical from institution to institution. Even individual courses with the same name are probably different from institution to institution for various reasons. Each chapter is different and chapters are in differing points in their relationships with higher education institutions, some have not started while others may already have a diverse group of long-standing, ongoing activities. Other chapters fit somewhere between these two extremes.
The Institute Academic Affairs Program Committee can provide continuing encouragement to regions, chapters and individual members to become involved in this program as well as providing materials and guideline that explain the program. They can provide general directions and suggestion of activities that can be undertaken at the local level to assist in the implementation of this program. They can serve as a conduit for sharing success stories from one chapter which may help other chapters. They can serve as the catalyst for finding assistance when chapter need advice or help. However, they can never replace individual chapter activity as it relates to developing relationships with local higher education institutions.
If your chapter is not already involved in the Institutes Academic Affairs Program, you can take the first steps with little cost. Why not consider donating a subscription to “The Construction Specifier” or a copy of the new PRM to a local campus library or to the departmental library of a design/construction related program; what about inviting faculty members or students to a
chapter meeting as the guests of the chapter; or the chapter might consider making contact with an academic department to see if they would like to have a chapter member serve as a “guest speaker” in an existing academic program to bring “real-world” activities into the classroom.
One activity with a higher cost is starting or increasing the chapter activity to provide scholarship aid to students. You can also alert the Institute when research at a local higher education institution results in some new material or innovation that should be of interest to the design/construction community. These are only a few ideas that might be considered. The Institute Committee can help but so can a discussion by each chapter board on how to become involved in a program that is dedicated to improving our industry and our professions.
The PRM - the Perfect Text Book for Teaching Construction Documents
Value of the PRM to Students & Faculty
The Project Resource Manual – CSI Manual of Practice (PRM) is a tremendous resource for educators and students. There is no better guide for teaching what tools are used by Architects, Engineers, Construction Professionals, and Owners for organizing and documenting construction projects. From the first glimmering of a project idea, through every stage of procurement, design, and construction, to facility management, the Project Resource Manual provides tools to make every project go smoother and quicker.
Used throughout the construction industry, the Project Resource Manual is the ideal tool to help you teach –
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Filled with useful solutions, the Project Resource Manual provides a common language and system for organizing, standardizing, retrieving, communicating, and exchanging construction information in an effective and efficient way. The Project Resource Manual is an ideal tool for any course that aims to educate architecture, engineering, and construction technology or management students about project documentation and contract administration.
