An anonymous gift to the University of Tennessee at Martin will support the university’s new Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, an engineering major developed to meet Tennessee workforce needs.

The gift of the Overcast Family Professorship for Excellence in Construction Management Endowment will enable the university to hire future faculty members for the new program. In addition, the same donors will provide scholarships to qualified students at the second-year level or above who have a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher through their establishment of the Overcast Family Construction Management Scholarship Fund.

The new degree received UT Board of Trustees approval during the board’s annual meeting in June and received final approval July 28 during the Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s summer meeting in Nashville. The program will begin fall semester 2022.

The degree will provide an additional STEM pathway to students interested in the combination of engineering and construction-related work. The degree will be formatted to benefit completion by both traditional students and by professionals currently working in the construction field. Construction management is a vital and sought-after component of the construction industry that provides a professional service using specialized project-management techniques to oversee project planning, design and execution.

The Bachelor of Science in Construction Management degree is the third degree offered at the Martin campus by the Department of Engineering, which currently offers a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with concentrations in civil, computer, electrical, manufacturing and mechatronics. The program curriculum will be accredited by the American Council for Construction Education and taught in the new Latimer Engineering and Science Building.

Also approved by the commission was the 2022 UT Martin Master Plan, which was approved in June by the UT Board of Trustees. This comprehensive 10-year plan serves as a blueprint for building expansions and site improvements that preserve and renew existing facilities and reinforce the positive aspects of the main campus.
<p style="text-align: center;">###</p>