Ed Boucher Selected as Director of the Granite Heavy Civil Minor Program
Faculty member Ed Boucher, who has taught full time in the Construction Management (CM) Department and part-time in the Civil Engineering (CE) Department since 2017, was selected director of the Granite Heavy Civil minor program, a joint venture between the two departments.
The program is designed to better prepare students for an evolving industry that combines elements of design and construction. The minor was established in 2019 through an endowment created with donations from Granite Construction, Caterpillar, and Beavers Charitable Foundation. The endowment covers, in perpetuity, the costs of a joint CE and CM director with funding to support scholarships for women and underrepresented students in construction.
The program, which admitted 52 students in its first two cohorts, teaches CM students about heavy civil engineering fundamentals, and CE students have access to more construction management classes.
Boucher served on the committee that developed the Granite Heavy Civil minor. As director, he will teach in both the CM and CE departments while also being responsible for the administration and sustainability of the Granite Heavy Civil minor program, including recruiting and advising students, overseeing budget administration, fundraising, implementing program improvements, interfacing with industry, coaching team competitions, and developing two new courses.
The heavy workload does not intimidate Boucher, a self-described “construction guy.”
“I have passion for aiding student development and growth as construction professionals,” he said. “I also have passion and strong knowledge of the heavy civil sector of the construction industry as I spent 44 years in heavy construction before “retiring” in 2018. Additionally, I want to aid the university and promote student interest in the heavy civil field.”
Boucher wants to grow the program.
“Improvements will be iterative and ongoing,” he said. “Growth will be based on input from students, sponsors and the Granite Heavy Civil Minor Industry Advisory Board. My interface with industry is critical. The program needs to understand what industry desires of their new employees and to adequately prepare the students in the program for success.”
