The AGC Education and Research Foundation gives two prestigious national awards annually – one to an educator who exemplifies excellence in the field of construction education, and the other to a senior-level student who submits the winning essay in the 2020 James L. Allhands Essay Competition. Corban Williams, a senior in Clemson University’s Construction Science and Management (CSM) program, won this year’s Essay Competition.
The overall topic for the 2020 Allhands Essay Competition was “Identifying and Positively Addressing Real and Perceived Barriers to Inclusion in Construction.” The title of Williams’ winning essay was “Increasing Diversity and Inclusion through Mentoring Underrepresented Groups.” The driving force behind creating this research according to Williams was “to provide insight on how industry professionals can harness the burgeoning diversity already within the industry to recruit the next generation of workers and to highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion within the construction industry.”
Williams was recognized during AGC’s National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, in early March. His faculty sponsor, Dr. Dennis C. Bausman, Professor and Endowed Faculty Chair of Clemson’s Nieri Family Department of Construction Science and Management, also received special recognition.
More about Corban Williams
Corban Williams is from Columbia, S.C. He is an active member in the Clemson University Student Government as a member of the Council of Diversity Affairs. He is also a member of the Clemson AGC Student Chapter and the Clemson Black Student Union. Williams is also active in his community volunteering at the local soup kitchen each weekend and mentoring high school seniors about careers in the Construction Industry. He also recently completed a Study Abroad program in the Dominican Republic where he helped plan and construct a house for a family in need all while learning about the history and culture of the residents. Williams contributes much of his success to his parents and his mentors, especially Nate Spells Sr., Nate Spells Jr., and David Myers at Construction Dynamics. They were the first group of people to introduce Construction Science and Management to him and give him an internship position. After graduation Williams plans to work in the Construction Industry as a Project Engineer.
About Dr. Dennis C. Bausman
Dr. Dennis C. Bausman currently serves as Professor and Endowed Faculty Chair in the Nieri Family Department of Construction Science and Management at Clemson University. Prior to joining the faculty at Clemson, he held positions in Executive Management, Division Manager, and Project Management over a 22-year career in the construction industry. Dr. Bausman is an AIC Certified Professional Constructor and on the Board of Directors for the American Institute of Constructors. Dr. Bausman has received national recognition for his work including the AGC Education and Research Foundation’s National Outstanding Educator Award, AGC’s National Outstanding Student Chapter Award (Faculty Advisor) and ASC’s Outstanding Researcher Award. He also continues to be an active participant in AGC’s Education and Research Foundation case study program.
About the James L. Allhands Essay Competition
The James L. Allhands Essay was established by the late James L. Allhands, one of the founding members of AGC and a prolific writer of construction related works. The award recognizes a student essay on a specific topic that is deemed to be beneficial to the advancement of technological, educational, or vocational expertise in the construction industry.
The competition is open to any senior–level student in a four or five–year ABET or ACCE–accredited university construction management or construction–related engineering program.
The First Place essay author receives $1,000. His/her faculty sponsor receives $500. Both the recipient and sponsor are invited as guests of the Foundation to the AGC Annual Convention.
