Written by: Andrea Rutledge, CMAA President & CEO
In March 2019, CMAA assembled a panel of prominent industry professionals from agency and at-risk construction management and program management firms, owner organizations, and higher education to assess the current landscape of the industry and provide a long-range perspective on possible improvements.
Two of the outcomes of that conversation were recognition that:
- The competition for talent is an industry-wide issue that will only increase over time.
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion are inextricably linked to workforce development.
In my experience, a firm, institution, or organization that makes a conscious commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is likely to achieve greater success more quickly if there is a champion in the C-suite who has the authority to oversee or direct all of the ways in which the organization demonstrates that commitment. For example, those might be reviewing policies on parental leave, providing advice on marketing campaigns, or of particular interest to the topics of interest to CMAA, advising on hiring and recruiting practices.
Earlier this year, I asked the leaders of some of CMAA’s larger corporate members about their recruiting programs; in particular I wanted to know which institutions they visited to recruit undergraduates. This scan was not comprehensive or empirical. It was my effort to get a sense of existing patterns and practices. The lists they sent back were, in most cases, reflective of the regions where the firms were located (e.g., the Northeast). They were also reflective of the institutions they themselves had attended and those attended by their partners or senior managers. The institutions that appeared on those lists were familiar; among them: Penn State, the University of Michigan, Norwich University, Purdue University, and Auburn.
There are 107 post-secondary institutions in the U.S. designated by the U.S. Department of Education as Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The list includes four-year institutions, specialty institutions (e.g., colleges of law or medicine), and community colleges. A review of websites and catalogs of 90 or so four-year institutions reveals a dozen that offer degrees in Construction Management, Construction Engineering, Civil Engineering, or Architecture (singly or in combination). Many are less than 30 miles from other large colleges or universities; several of which appeared on the lists provided by firm leaders. For example, Tuskegee University is 30 miles from Auburn; Alabama A&M is in Huntsville, along with the University of Alabama; and Southern University and A&M College is in Baton Rouge, as is Louisiana State.
If I were the C-suite executive in charge of DEI in my firm, I would encourage those in charge of recruiting to add a day to the previously-planned trip to Auburn, for example, in order to recruit at Tuskegee. This action represents a modest adjustment to recruiting strategy that could yield significant results, not only for my firm, but also for the profession.
Adding a visit to Tuskegee or Southern A&M or Prairie View gives students, faculty, and parents an opportunity to learn more about the values and opportunities of the construction management profession. It gives recruiters the opportunity to identify young professionals who can bring new perspectives and experiences to the workforce. Finally, CMAA can reach out to these programs to communicate the financial benefits (e.g., starting salaries) and credentialing programs available to young CMs, engineers, or architects.
At the end of this article there is a list of institutions. I invite all of you to include them in your next recruiting initiative, and to add other institutions to this list that may not be on it.
In the meantime, I wish you all the best and thank you for your support of CMAA,
Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, Ala.
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Fla.
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Jackson State University, Jackson, Miss.
Morgan State University, Baltimore, Md.
North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, N.C.
Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas
Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, La.
Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tenn.
Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas
Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala.
University of the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C.
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Author Andrea S. Rutledge, President & CEO, joined CMAA in 2017. She is a seasoned association executive with a passion for promoting the core values of the profession and the vision and mission of CMAA. She can be reached at president@cmaanet.org.