CE, CEM merge to become Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering
The Purdue University Board of Trustees on April 5 ratified a plan to merge the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and the Division of Construction Engineering and Management. The change became effective July 1, when the school's name changed to the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering.
The move brought together 125 CEM students and 613 CE undergraduates under the same leadership. Degrees earned by graduates remain the same, with two separate degrees offered. The curriculum and internship programs also remain unchanged.
Civil and construction engineering and management have merged to become the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering.
"Establishing the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering aligns with the College of Engineering's persistent pursuit of excellence at scale," said Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, Robert V. Adams Professor in Mechanical Engineering and professor of Materials Engineering by courtesy. "The joint school will benefit students, staff and faculty; grow both programs to better address industry needs; and be positioned to offer new degree and research programs."
Rao S. Govindaraju, who headed the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, leads the reorganized school as the Bowen Engineering Head of Civil and Construction Engineering and Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering.
"This merger is a win for all students, faculty and staff," Govindaraju said. "This will allow us to leverage the strengths of both programs to provide more opportunities for students in the classroom, through industry engagement and more.
"This change marks an incredible step forward to providing an even better educational experience. By bringing the two programs under one umbrella, we will see a greater sharing of expertise and best practices that will allow for a strengthening of both our civil engineering and construction engineering undergraduate degree offerings."
Mark Hastak, the Dernlan Family Head of Construction Engineering and Management and Professor of Civil Engineering, has taken on a new role as associate dean for facilities and planning in Purdue University in Indianapolis.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Lyles School of Civil Engineering's Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Graduate Program in Civil Engineering #5 in the nation, the civil engineering undergraduate program #3 in the nation and the online master's program #2 in the nation this year.
