Greetings from Bishop-Favrao Hall, where students, faculty and staff are back in-person. Our resilient community continues to be challenged by COVID – teaching and learning in PPE, child and elder care issues and more. We would like to encourage and support both our campus family and our extended family of alumni and friends in the industry. As we pursue excellence together and celebrate the opportunities associated with face-to-face interactions and collaborations, we continue to put health and safety first.
We plan to host an in-person Construction Industry Career Fair October 28-29. Recruiters have filled the Virginia Tech Inn and Conference Center to full capacity, spanning two floors! We look forward to engaging with our industry partners and experiencing the excitement of students and recruiters as job and internship offers are cultivated. If you have not already had the pleasure of interacting with her, Ashley Wills is our new Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, and she is leading the career fair. Ashley can be reached at ashley.wills@vt.edu.
We are also planning an in-person Capstone presentation event, at which five “finalist” teams will present to industry evaluators and faculty. Capstone presentations will be held on December 9, the same day as the Industry Advisory Board meeting. In the evening, we are planning a long-awaited awards and recognition reception. Details are forthcoming.
Our Hard-hatting Ceremony is expected to be face-to-face, following several virtual renditions due to COVID restrictions. Hard-hatting is a unique ceremony that recognizes graduating seniors receiving the B.S. in Building Construction and the B.S. in Construction Engineering and Management. We also recognize graduate students who have finished their M.S. in Building Construction, Ph.D. in Environmental Design and Planning, or M.S. or Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering (concentrating in construction engineering and management). While students’ degrees may be awarded from different colleges, they are all part of MLSoC!
We would like to also introduce you to our new faculty and staff. In addition to Ashley, mentioned earlier, the following individuals have joined us recently: Sarah Phillips has joined our administrative team. Brandy Barrow is supporting the graduate program. Dr. Ali Shojaei has joined Building Construction as an Assistant Professor.
Finally, in the area of bricks (Hokie Stone) and mortar, we anticipate a groundbreaking for Hitt Hall in the coming months! Stay tuned for more information.
Stay healthy and safe,
Brian
