The University of Evansville’s Civil Engineering Program is receiving national attention this month, after earning the American Society of Civil Engineers’ prestigious Walter LeFevre Award for 2009.

The award, given each year both to the nation’s top large civil engineering program, and to the nation’s top small civil engineering program, was created in 2008 to recognize “EAC-ABET-accredited civil engineering programs that promote professional licensure, ethics, and professionalism.” UE earned the 2009 award for the top small program, beating out last year’s winner, the University of Idaho, and last year’s runner-up, the Rose Hulman Institute of Technology.

“We are delighted and honored to be recognized by ASCE for the exemplary efforts of our faculty and students in the civil engineering program,” states Brian Swenty, Chair of the University’s Mechanical and Civil Engineering Department. “We are especially indebted to our Class of 2008 Civil Engineering alums who scored a perfect 100 percent passing rate on their NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering exam. Without their amazing accomplishment, the university would not have won this award.”

Criteria for the LeFevre Award include:

• Percentage of recent graduates who took the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination,
• Percentage of those graduates who passed the exam, • Percentage of eligible faculty who are registered professional engineers in a United States jurisdiction,
• And the extent to which civil engineering curricula promotes licensure, ethics and professionalism.

For the 2008 evaluation period, the University of Evansville Department of Civil Engineering achieved a 100 percent rating in all three measurable categories.

UE’s civil engineering curriculum is designed to produce graduates with the skills and knowledge necessary to enter the civil engineering profession. The curriculum includes a requirement that students take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam; it contains multiple components of engineering ethics; and it challenges students with real-world design projects that increase their understanding of professional issues.

Civil Engineering students also are encouraged to spend a semester studying abroad, thanks to a curriculum tailored to allow them to do so. Because of this, many civil engineering students take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad during their four years at UE; overall, the University of Evansville ranks seventh nationally among Masters level institutions for the number of graduates that have studied abroad. In 2008, more than 57 percent of UE graduates completed a “study abroad” experience at Harlaxton College or other location(s) around the world.

The University of Evansville will receive the crystal award at the National ASCE Conference on October 29, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. The award is named for E. Walter LeFevre, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, a past recipient of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Distinguished Service Award.

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