Engineering Quarterly VOL.I. . . No.2
University of Mary
FREE
WINTER 2019
W ELCOME ! By TERRY PILLING
Welcome to our second issue of the newsletter of the University of Mary Engineering School. Since our last issue of the Engineering Quarterly back in November 2018, we have finished the Fall semester of courses and started the Spring semester. Our curriculum is continuing its development with numerous new engineering courses and labs being actively taught in the four degrees we are currently offering on campus. These degrees are Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering. This semester also marks the completion of our development of these degrees up through Junior year and we are currently conducting a faculty search for new professors in each of the engineering disciplines to join our team to teach and develop the senior level courses starting next fall. We anticipate the successful completion of the search later this month and we will announce our new hires as well as introduce you to them in our spring issue of EQ in May. We sincerely hope that you are enjoying our newsletter and we plan to continue to publish an issue every three months corresponding to each season: Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. If you have any suggestions, or you have any important news that would be of interest to engineers and engineering students please don’t hesitate to contact me. Terry Pilling, PhD University of Mary
N EW FACULTY The School of Engineering has hired a new faculty member for the Construction Management program. Professor Matthew Scerbak is a registered professional architect licensed in two states, Michigan and Alaska. Matthew Matthew earned his Bachelor of Science in Architecture at the University of Michigan in 1983, his Master of Architecture with distinction at the University of Michigan in 1986 with concentration in Design Theory, and his Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography and Related Media at the Parsons School of Design in New York. Matthew has 13 years of experience in construction and architecture and he taught at the Immaculate Conception Parish in Fairbanks, Alaska, until 2014 when he moved to New
York and taught further courses and labs in Construction estimating, planning, DesignBuild management, Commercial Detailing, and Architectural Design at the State University of New York and the Parsons School of Design. Matthew joined the University of Mary Engineering School as a professor of Construction Management starting in January 2019 and will be helping us design the Construction Management program as well as teaching and advising students in Construction Management and Architecture. Professor Scerbak is passionate about architecture and construction management and has been working to bring back the role of the Master Builder. According to Matthew, “The most significant accomplishment in my career, and more important than any degree, was the pioneering of a new paradigm in construction project delivery. For 13 years with my own business, I acted as both the architect and construction manager, concurrently, on all of my projects (all commercial work). This was, and still is, unheard of, except in residential construction. I did applied research, in real time, to see if it was possible to restore the ancient Master Builder concept in a contemporary context, assuming all of the liability and risk that this entailed. It was a very bold move, but I was successful in this ‘dual’ role, managing upwards of 70 different trades while designing buildings, and delivering projects at less cost and in half the time of my competition by overlapping design and construction by over 80%. Architect, after all, comes from the Greek archi+tekton, which means master builder. I was just bringing the concept back into the contemporary world, something that could only be explored by actually doing it.” In his teaching role Matthew wants to show students how to manage both construction and design, “I want to teach my Construction Management students what it means to work in a highly collaborative environment, in an essential role that is not separate from design, but overlaps with it in a continuous, interdependent, process. It is a skill and mindset that will position them on the leading edge of industry.”
W ORKFORCE D EVELOPMENT I NITIATIVE By BRIAN OPP
In January the University of Mary launched a Workforce Development Initiative with the immediate objective of helping employers attract new employees, and retaining and developing current workers. Workforce is repeatedly identified as the number one barrier to economic growth in North Dakota. The topic has been researched at length, now is the time to take action and the University of Mary is eager to make an impact. Workforce development and training are hardly new at University of Mary. In fact,
we’ve been doing this in some fashion since our founding in 1959. What is new is the University’s laser-like focus on increasing our impact in this all-important area. A newly established University of Mary workforce development team will lead efforts to grow and expand the University’s relationships with employers, to identify the critical needs of employers, and to collaborate with those employers to develop and deliver the exact education and training opportunities they need to their employees. Already we’ve added new workforce development partnerships with MBI Energy Services, The North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations, and McKenzie County Healthcare System. These employers join over 50 entities already partnering with the University of Mary for workforce development training. Partnerships with the University of Mary provide various benefits to employers including scholarships for their employees, the ability to pursue skill-specific certificates in as few as 15 weeks, and more. Perhaps the greatest value we can provide employers and their workforce is offering the flexibility to meet their needs. Education and training opportunities can be delivered in-person, online, or as a hybrid. They can be employer-specific or open to public enrollment. They can be offered on a “for credit” basis or simply as a means to further develop the skills and knowledge of a workforce. In short, University of Mary is willing and able to tailor education and training opportunities to meet the need of any employer. Please contact Brian Opp, University of Mary Workforce Development Strategist, for more information and to explore how the University of Mary’s workforce development initiative can benefit you. blopp@umary.edu (701) 355-3798
N EW E NGINEERING B UILDING By LUKE SEIDLING
The University of Mary is preparing to begin construction of our engineering building, which we plan to complete by Fall 2020. The engineering faculty, along with Luke Seidling, the Director of the University of Mary Physical Plant, Tyler Atkinson the Maintenance and Project Manager, and Vaughn Rhodes the Campus Architect, have been working with Registered Architect Joe Larrivee from Bartlett & West, Mike Van Dyne, P.E. from Bartlett & West, Chris Wentz, P.E. from CW Structural Engineers, and John Klein, P.E. from Apex Engineering Group on the floorplans, building materials, equipment purchases, classrooms, laboratory facilities, machine shop, woodshop, technology needs, etc., for the past eight months. The plans are now nearly ready and construction is planned to begin in May of this year for a grand opening for the Fall 2020 semester.