Seven years ago The University of Texas at Austin Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering (CAEE) became the first Cockrell School of Engineering department to create an academy to honor its alumni.
A legacy began when in 2003 the first class of 27 charter members established the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni. Each year, alumni are selected to join the academy and in keeping with the tradition, 10 civil engineers were inducted during a ceremony this semester.
"The academy allows us to recognize the career accomplishments of our graduates from across the world," said Sharon Wood, CAEE department chair. "The members of the academy also serve as role models for our current students and provide outstanding examples of the many career opportunities available to civil engineering graduates."
With the new inductees, the Academy of Distinguished Alumni includes 82 members – a significant honor considering the department has more than 10,000 living alumni. The academy established an endowed scholarship in 2007 and a graduate fellowship in 2009. They also participate in outreach activities such as the Projects for Underserved Communities (PUC) course by providing funding and airline mileage for student travel.
More information about the academy is available online. The nomination deadline for 2011 inductees is Feb. 15, 2011.
