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Jerald Rounds, 277-3658 |
September 26, 2001
Associated General Contractors Endowed Chair Named at UNM
Dr.
Jerald Rounds, professional engineer (P.E.), has been named to fill the Associated
General Contractors (AGC) Endowed Chair in Construction Management and Construction
Engineering at the University of New Mexico. Rounds has 30 years of combined
experience in academia and the construction industry.
Rounds began his duties in the UNM Department of Civil Engineering on Aug.
13. He succeeds Deborah Fisher, P.E., who is focusing more on teaching and research
as a UNM Civil Engineering faculty member.
As AGC Endowed Chair, Rounds will be responsible for both undergraduate and
graduate construction division programs, as well as research and industry outreach.
Rounds was selected for the chaired position following an international search
that started in February. He is the third professor to hold the position, the
others being Fisher and Greg Howell, P.E.
The AGC Endowed Chair was started by the New Mexico Building Branch,
Associated General Contractors, in September of 1984. It is funded by contributions
from AGC contractors and others in the New Mexico construction industry.
AGCs goal in the construction industry is to ensure professional standards
in the commercial building industry. Its 220 plus members account for more than
60 percent of New Mexicos non-residential public and private building
construction each year The Construction Advancement Program, AGCs 501©3
Education Foundation, provided a major impetus to the start of the program.
Matching funds were also provided by UNM and the State of New Mexico.
The purpose of the endowment is to seize a standard of excellence for education
beyond what is attainable through normal funding sources at UNM and to promote
and enhance Construction Management and Construction Engineering as unique disciplines
within the UNM CE Department.
In response to the needs of students in the department who plan to go to work
directly in the construction industry, the program teaches both technical and
business knowledge needed for the operation and management of a construction
company. The program is intended, also, to produce graduates who can meet the
personnel needs of New Mexico construction companies who work in this states
fourth largest private industry.
Originally from Denver, Colo., Rounds comes to UNM from Goodyear, Ariz., where
he headed Rounds and Associates, a consulting firm for the construction industry.
Before that, he taught at Arizona State University from 1986 to 1993.
Rounds holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Structures) from the University of Dundee, Scotland and a B.S. in CE (Structures) from the University of Colorado. He also completed graduate level CE courses toward a masters degree at the National University of Mexico. In addition, Rounds has taught at Iowa State University from 1983 to 1986 and is a Fellow at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He is a licensed professional engineer in both Colorado and Iowa. He has worked in the industry in structural design and as a construction field engineer. He was also a project manager for Petry Construction Co. in Colorado.
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