San Diego State University College of Engineering is pleased to announce that Bergelectric Corporation has made a $100,000 gift to support the AGC Chair in Construction Management in the J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management Program. The AGC Chair is being established to attract and retain high level faculty to lead the program.
Established in 2008, the J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management Program prepares SDSU students for successful careers in Construction Engineering and Management. The program offers an undergraduate degree in Construction Engineering and master’s in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Construction. To date, over 300 students have graduated from the program.
Unparalleled industry support has been a guiding force in the success of the program. Due to industry demand, SDSU is expanding the program to offer a major in Construction Management. SDSU worked to get the major approved through the SDSU Senate and the California State University (CSU) system late last year. The new major met all benchmarks. Approvals were made quickly due in part to the excellent curriculum planned by program director and faculty leader, Thais Alves, Ph.D., who serves as the AGC/Roel Chair for Construction Engineering and Management, and because of private gift support for the AGC Chair.
“We are pleased to support the AGC Chair in Construction Management. SDSU provides a hands-on curriculum that prepares students for real-world work environments,” said Alan Mashburn, Bergelectric CEO. “Bergelectric has been fortunate to hire several graduates that are contributing to our continued success.”
Bergelectric is a long time supporter of Construction Engineering at SDSU with leadership gifts in the early 2000s that helped get courses and faculty in place that led to the formation of the current day J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management Program.
“Strong ties to industry keep the program current and focused on emerging needs of the industry,” Alves said. “We are grateful for everything that Bergelectric does for our program and our students.”
The AGC Chair in Construction Management campaign goal is $2.5 million and to date approximately $1.4 million has been raised. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the AGC Chair in Construction Management, please contact Kate Carinder, Senior Director of Development for the College of Engineering at SDSU at: kcarinder@sdsu.edu.