Institutional Partners - Descriptions

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is a public land-grant university serving the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world community. The discovery and dissemination of new knowledge are central to its mission. Through its focus on teaching and learning, research and discovery, and outreach and engagement, the university creates, conveys, and applies knowledge to expand personal growth and opportunity, advance social and community development, foster economic competitiveness, and improve the quality of life.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers more than 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 32,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

Founded in 1872, Virginia Tech has approximately 135 campus buildings, a 2,600-acre main campus, statewide educational facilities in six regions, a study-abroad site in Switzerland, and a 1,800-acre agriculture research farm near the main campus. The campus proper is located in the Town of Blacksburg in Montgomery County in the New River Valley and is 38 miles southwest of Roanoke.

The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers educational programs in all areas of civil engineering practice, including  Construction Engineering and Management, Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering and Materials, and Transportation Infrastructure and Systems Engineering. The department has 57 faculty and a current enrollment of 545 undergraduate and 328 graduate students. In 2016, U.S. News and World Report ranked the department 9th out of all civil engineering departments in the nation in undergraduate education, 8th for graduate education in civil engineering, and 7th for graduate education in environmental engineering. Programs are also offered in multiple discipline areas in the National Capital Region.

Case Western Reserve University is one of the nation’s leading independent research universities, with programs that encompass the arts and sciences, engineering, the health sciences, law, management, and social work.  Located in Cleveland, Ohio, the University sits within centers of industrial, biomedical, financial, cultural and technical leadership.  The Case School of Engineering offers thirteen undergraduate degree programs, including civil engineering, with a tradition of rigorous programs based on fundamental principles of mathematics, science and engineering.

The Department of Civil Engineering at Case Western Reserve University offers programs of study in environmental, geotechnical, construction management and structural engineering.  The Department dedicated a new geotechnical engineering laboratory in 2016, and opened the Vanderhoof Infrastructure Research and Education facility in 2010, which features a 2,400 square foot strong floor and L-shaped strong wall.  The Department has a long history of distinguished research in the topics of bridge and infrastructure engineering.

Tuskegee University was founded by the notable African American educator and leader Booker T Washington in 1881. It is a private college and historically African American. According to News and World Reports, Tuskegee College is ranked at number 5 for the “Best Regional College in the South” and is ranked at number six for “Best Colleges for Women in STEM Programs.” Tuskegee University offers 40 bachelor’s degree programs, 17 master’s degree programs, a 5 year accredited professional degree program in architecture, 4 doctoral degree programs, and the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. The University currently has 3,100 students enrolled.

The college of engineering is comprised of aerospace, chemical, electrical, materials science, and mechanical engineering. The college of engineering at Tuskegee does not currently have a civil engineering program.

The University of North Florida was established in 1972 and is located in Jacksonville, Florida. The University currently has 16,000 students enrolled. The campus has 28 major buildings and six housing facilities and is located on over 1,300 acres of land. The current President of UNF is John Delaney, who is the former Jacksonville mayor. UNF has many notable programs, their Music program being the most significant. The Coggin College of Business has also been recognized by Princeton Review as one of best 280 business schools in the United States. In 2006, Princeton Review ranked UNF as number five on their list of “Best Value Colleges.” UNF is organized into five colleges which offer 53 undergraduate degree programs and 28 graduate degree programs, with noted business, coastal biology, nursing, nutrition, and music programs.

 UNF’s College of Engineering added three new master’s degree programs: civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering. In 2015, the civil engineering program was ranked at number ten in the state of Florida. The civil engineering program is fairly new, as it began being offered in 1999. Construction management is the most popular engineering program at UNF.