Charles W. Berryman Named LSU Construction Management Department Chair
LSU’s College of Engineering announced the appointment of Charles W. Berryman, Ph.D., as the new chairman for the Department of Construction Management; he will also be named the Chair of the Contractors Educational Trust Fund Professorship.
“The College is delighted to welcome Dr. Charles Berryman as the Chair for the Department of Construction Management,” said Rick Koubek, dean, LSU College of Engineering. “He is a renowned educator, researcher and administrator in the construction management field. His arrival marks an important inflection point in the program, accentuating the recent move to make the program an independent department. We particularly thank the Contractor’s Educational Trust Fund for their support of Dr. Berryman as the CETF Chair of Construction Management.”
Serving 16 years, Berryman’s previous appointment was professor of construction management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln within the College of Engineering. He holds a bachelor degree in building construction from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas in 1991, and his master’s degree and Ph.D. were also conferred at Texas A&M in construction management, 1992, and philosophy, 1995. He spent 12 years working in the construction management industry with many more years through consulting and collaborative activities while in academia.
Berryman identified some of his top initiatives upon taking his new role as chair including:
- Develop a detailed 5-year business plan for CM with emphasis on education and research.
- Begin investment initiatives/partnerships with the construction industry that improves the faculty environment and enhances student learning.
- Complete a comprehensive curriculum review and begin the change process to prepare for a new outcome based accreditation.
- Layout the framework for a School of Construction Management.
“It was the huge potential of CM that drew me to LSU…along with a very supportive college dean, a robust construction industry, hardworking faculty/staff and motivated students,” Berryman said. “It is exciting to be on the ‘ground floor’ of something big.”
A Hereford, Texas native, Berryman has received numerous teaching and research awards, including: Presidents Award, Home Builders Association of Lincoln (HBAL), 2010; Outstanding Researcher Award, International Associated Schools of Construction, 2008; nominated Outstanding Educator by the Associated General Contractors, 2007; Outstanding Educator Award, International Associated Schools of Construction, 2006; and Outstanding Educator Award, National Association of Home Builders, 2006.
Berryman’s most recent research focuses on developing pedagogical models that can best train displaced workers for the “green” jobs market, creating a decision support system within a digital virtual environment for residential developers and/or designers wanting to implement sustainable/green technologies into their projects and investigating sustainable materials for highway construction. His work has been documented in journals, conferences, industry publications and invited lectures.
Berryman is a Certified Professional Constructor #1087 with American Institute of Constructors (AIC), a Certified Bridge Inspector in the State of Nebraska, served on the Board of Directors for international Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) for 16 years and was their president since 2010 and is a visiting team chair for the American Council of Construction Education (ACCE) since 2006.
About LSU’s Construction Management Program: For the 2011-12 academic year, the Construction Management program had 388 declared majors and 17 minors, 349 of whom have been admitted to the College of Engineering. CM is the fifth largest undergraduate program in the College of Engineering and the 17th largest on the LSU campus.
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For more information, contact Mimi LaValle, College of Engineering, mlavall@lsu.edu or (225) 578-5706.