Industry Leader Selected as First Endowed Chair in Construction Management at Colorado State University

A Colorado construction management industry leader has been chosen as the first endowed chair of the Department of Manufacturing Technology and Construction Management at Colorado State University.

G. Scott Griffin, former CEO of Wheeler Construction Services, will serve as the Joseph Phelps Endowed Chair in Construction Management for a period of one to three years.

During his 20-year career as a civil engineer for the U.S. Air Force, he was honored by the Secretary of Defense for his excellence in medical facilities design. After a decade in the private sector, Griffin has managed several large-scale residential and commercial projects.

"I bring 30 years of industry experience into the classroom and I hope to add to an already superior education experience for our students," Griffin said.

The endowed chair in construction management was established at Colorado State through a $1.5 million gift donated by Joseph Phelps, a construction management graduate who was CEO and chairman of Hensel Phelps Construction Co. before he created Phelps Vineyards in California’s Napa Valley. Phelps established the endowed chair as a way to integrate more industry experience into the department’s construction management curricula and research activities.

"The construction management students at Colorado State, who are the top recruited students in the country, will gain invaluable industry expertise through the senior-level capstone course taught by Scott Griffin," said Larry Grosse, head of the Department of Manufacturing Technology and Construction Management at Colorado State. "This course will bring their entire educational experience together."

Along with teaching the capstone course, Griffin also will facilitate graduate student and faculty applied research projects and provide professional services to the university and the industry.

Griffin’s professional affiliations include the American Institute of Constructors, the Society of American Military Engineers, the Associated Schools of Construction and more. He also is an active volunteer in the community.

Griffin received his bachelor’s degree in industrial/construction management and doctorate in education and human resource studies with an emphasis in technology of industry from Colorado State University. He received his master’s degree in facilities management from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Colorado State’s construction management program started 56 years ago. The program has a 100 percent placement rate.

In a special report published by the Engineering News-Record this year, Colorado State’s construction management program in the College of Applied Human Sciences was ranked as No. 1 in the nation for the largest student enrollment at 630 students.

Colorado State University is the only university in the state to offer a comprehensive, independent undergraduate and graduate degree program in construction management.

For more information about the Department of Manufacturing Technology and Construction Management program at Colorado State, visit the Web at www.cahs.colostate.edu/mtcm.