ASCE has honored School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Georgia (Large Program) and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, United States Coast Guard Academy (Small Program) with the 2024 Walter LeFevre Award for excellence in promoting ethics, professionalism, and licensure in the civil engineering curriculum.
The civil engineering program at the University of Georgia is a relatively new program. Established in 2012, it strives to incorporate the professional skills required of graduates in the workplace into their classes and curriculum. This includes a unique leadership development program and a requirement to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam for all graduates. The capstone program involves a real-life project from an external client that integrates civil engineering students into a team with students from other disciplines such as environmental, agricultural, mechanical, and electrical engineering programs. There is an intentional emphasis on development of leadership and communication skills in these projects, as well as the more traditional technical skills development. The civil engineering program piloted the Emerging Engineering Leadership Development (EELD) Certificate Program, which has since expanded to include all engineering students. All capstone students participate in leadership-focused learning modules to assist in developing these skills throughout their capstone experience.
The civil and environmental engineering program at the United States Coast Guard Academy places a strong emphasis on licensure and professionalism throughout many facets of its program. All permanent faculty are licensed, and it is clearly a goal to get rotating faculty licensed during their time at the Academy through mentorship from the licensed faculty. Senior students enroll in a 1-credit course specifically designed to help them take and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, resulting in a high percentage succeeding in this endeavor. Ethics is infused into the curriculum through several required and elective courses as well as an annual ethics forum that involves students from across the Academy. The Academy is uniquely positioned to provide real, hands-on experiences for students’ capstone projects, working with Coast Guard officers and civilian engineers in the field.
The Walter LeFevre Award recognizes academic institutions for their outstanding actions in promoting licensure, ethics, and professionalism.
