The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as well as Iowa State University and Pittsburg State University were named the nation’s most outstanding student construction chapters of 2022, the Associated General Contractors of America announced April 12. The student chapters were each honored for one of three categories: Emerging Student Chapter Award, Community Service Award and Construction Management Skills Award.

“We honor these three student chapters for their dedication to the construction industry and commitment to supporting local communities,” said Lester C. Snyder, the association’s president and executive vice president of Brightline West in Las Vegas. “These students showcase the future of our industry, and we look forward to them welcoming them into the construction workforce.”

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas won the Emerging Student Chapter Award. In August 2021, a group of motivated students got together to revive the AGC Student Chapter at UNLV. To successfully increase participation & engagement, the leadership team approached professors who taught construction and engineering courses to present information about the chapter to their classes. The chapter implemented a fun activity at the end of meetings, like trivia, usually related to construction or the topic being discussed, with prizes for the winners. The students engaged heavily with their local AGC chapter, the Nevada Contractors Association, and attended every monthly meeting, provided speakers for student events, connected the group with sponsors and provided site tours and networking events. The chapter started with five members or less and ended up with 25 committed and engaged students.

The Iowa State University Student Chapter won the Community Service Award for its impressive portfolio of projects, totaling 1,771 volunteer hours across sites in Iowa, Tennessee and Texas. The chapter partnered with Habitat for Humanity and Appalachian Service Project to repair and build houses as well as design and build a memorial bench and obtained sponsorships from AGC member companies for their activities.

The Pittsburg State University Student Chapter won the Construction Management Skills and Project Award for its work on the Carver League Project, a renovation of a historic African American community center in Pittsburg, Kansas. The Carver League and building was originally developed to provide a place for social activities for the African American residents of Pittsburg and the surrounding communities. In 2021, former League members approached the School of Construction to assist in the building renovation. AGC students were heavily involved in labor, skilled trades and management of trade contractors. The project was funded by WATCO Companies, LLC in a partnership with the Carver League Foundation. The student chapter members contributed 1,238 hours of management and 261 hours of labor.

The three winning chapters received $2,000 each, as well as an additional $1,000 travel stipend to attend AGC’s Annual Convention, which was held in March in Las Vegas. The chapters were selected by a panel of judges made up of practicing commercial contractors. Student chapters were evaluated on qualifying criteria in each of the three categories for exemplary demonstration of the AGC of America tenants of skill, responsibility and integrity.