Civil Engineering Faculty Development

A method of selecting civil engineering faculty members is proposed to enhance their professional advancement. Each small to moderately large civil engineering program has been advised to select one, two, or a few areas of specialization rather than selecting one or two faculty members from each of the many disciplines housed under the civil engineering umbrella. This requires each specialist to contribute to undergraduate education outside his or her area of spcialization. An approach to assuring that this is effectively accomplished is also proposed. Graduate education and research can be more effectively pursued within these concentrated areas having four to six faculty members with similar or complimentary backgrounds and research interests. The recommended approach is expected to improve stability of graduate programs, assure opportunity for professional growth and development of civil engineering faculty members, and provide for sound undergraduate civil engineering education.