AGC Names Nation’s Most Outstanding Student Construction Chapters

The University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as Kansas State University and Boise State University were named the nation’s most outstanding student construction chapters of 2021, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. The student chapters were each honored for one of three categories: Emerging Student Chapter Award, Community Service Award and Construction Management Skills Award.

“These student chapters offer a vital connection between the future leaders of our industry and the construction employers of today,” said Bob Lanham, the association’s former president and president of Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc. in Houston, Texas. “These three student chapters stand out for their commitment to excellence, support for students and contributions to local communities.”

The University of Massachusetts Amherst won the Emerging Student Chapter Award. In the spring of 2020, the chapter was both forced to go fully remote and lost its entire executive board when they graduated at the end of the school year. The remaining members of the chapter worked to schedule online events and had to figure out how to recruit new members in the remote environment. The chapter overcame significant obstacles to maintain its momentum and continue serving as a resource for students studying construction to connect with the industry.

The Kansas State University Student Chapter won the Community Service Award. The chapter partnered with a local member of the AGC of Kansas to build modular decks for nearby restaurants that were struggling with pandemic-related restrictions on indoor seating. The student chapter also worked with its local Habitat for Humanity to help complete a new house in Ogden, Kansas. The student chapter also traveled to Idabel, Oklahoma during its spring break and partnered with the United Methodist Committee on Relief to help a Native American church in need of exterior repairs. Finally, the chapter developed built a construction science student memorial garden outside of the Department of Engineering building to remember deceased Kansas State students.

The Boise State University AGC Student Chapter won the Construction Management Skills and Project Award. The chapter restored the Woodshed at the historic Schick-Ostolasa Farmstead. The Woodshed is a 16-foot by 12-foot by 14-foot-tall wooden structure that was used to store firewood and coal for the farmstead. Student chapter members performed all the labor for the project with local Idaho AGC member firms.

The three winning chapters received $2,000 each, as well as an additional $1,000 travel stipend to attend AGC’s Annual Convention, held in Grapevine, Texas. The chapters were selected by a panel of judges made up of practicing commercial contractors. Student chapters were evaluated on qualifying criteria in each of the three categories for exemplary demonstration of the AGC of America tenants of skill, responsibility and integrity.