Contact: Tracee de Hahn
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
805-756-7114; tdehahn@calpoly.edu
California Contractors Show Their Support for
Cal Poly Construction Management
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Contractors statewide know that good construction begins with a solid foundation – especially in the form of an excellent education. With that in mind, the California Contractors State License Board recently presented the Cal Poly Construction Management Department with a check for more than $41,000 – money collected from voluntary donations from contractors acquiring or renewing licenses in conjunction with the Construction Management Education Sponsorship Act (CMESA).
Originally, the voluntary contributions were limited to $25 when contractor licenses were given or renewed. However, the limit has been lifted and, on average, the voluntary contributions are now $42.
“This is a statement about the importance of education – and, in our case, education that leads to better, safer construction,” said Rick Lopes, chief public affairs officer for the License Board.
CMESA was passed by the California Legislature in 1991 in recognition of the increasing demand and need to educate and prepare graduates to manage construction operations and companies. It was the Legislature’s intent that the assistance provided by CMESA grants would improve the overall quality of construction by providing industry-specific management training to California’s licensed contractors.
Allan J Hauck, head of Cal Poly’s Construction Management Department, is enthusiastic about the support. “This is a demonstration of the importance of supporting education in this state. By bringing people together the License Board has created a pool of resources unavailable before.”
The department will use the contribution for a variety of purposes, including faculty salaries and research, and multiple-subject curriculum supported by the newly opened Construction Innovations Center.
Grants are awarded to each of the six accredited Construction Management programs in the state. More information about the Construction Management Education Sponsorship
Act can be found at: http://www.cslb.ca.gov/Contractors/ConstructionManagement EducationSponsorshipAct.asp.
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