UNK’s Construction Management Organization Sets Students Apart
With a 100% job placement rate, construction management graduates from UNK’s College of Business and Technology are not all that worried about finding a job. Thanks to JD Stone, faculty advisor for the CBT’s Construction Management Organization, graduates have opportunities to lead the pack of new hires in their field. Stone explains how being involved in this organization gives graduates what they need to not only succeed in their field but to have the skills needed to be set apart among all new hires.
Student-Led Organization
This student-led organization is open to all construction management students. There is no registration fee or need to sign up. Meetings are advertised in construction management classes as well as being posted around campus and are held in DSCH 226.
Stone explains how he knows firsthand how being involved in the CMO can be a “big difference maker” for a student’s future career. Everything that occurs during the monthly CMO meetings has been strategically designed for the success of career-focused students. He explains how opportunities are planned to include guest speakers, competitions, service projects, and networking.
Guest Speakers
Stone shares that students learn about current trends in the field thanks to industry professionals who are invited to speak at CMO meetings. Food is catered from favorite restaurants such as Papa John's and Chick-fil-A. These meetings are a chance for students to not only learn from those who already have professional experience but also to network. Leaders in the construction field share job opportunities, current internships, and teach CMO members about a current topic relevant to their studies. This additional teaching from industry leaders solidifies what construction management students are learning in the classroom while giving them the chance to discuss trends with those whose day-to-day experiences mirror what the students will one day experience in their career.
Competitions
In addition to guest speakers, members of the CBT’s Construction Management Organization have the chance to compete on a national level. The organization hosts an annual golf tournament to offset the cost of the national competition which takes place in either Las Vegas or Orlando, depending on the year. This popular golf tournament attracts not only alumni but also local businesses, giving students yet another chance to network.
Stone explains how, each year, teams of six to eight students work on a proposal for a project that will eventually be judged at the national competition hosted by the National Association of Home Builders. He shares that UNK is well-represented as the “students do a really good job” with their projects. This “connection to knowledge” is yet another way that the CBT’s CMO gives its members that extra edge which will eventually lead to being prepared for the best job offer possible thus winning the biggest prize of all.
Community Service
Students not only learn at on-campus meetings and travel to compete with fellow construction management students, but they also learn to give back to the community. Stone explains how one Saturday each semester, CMO members work with Habitat of Humanity to hone their skills while making a difference in the lives of others.
Embedded in everything JD Stone provides for the Construction Management Organization are opportunities to network. He understands the need for students to learn more than just the content and the skills they will need in their future careers. He stresses how CMO members are taught the soft skills they will need in their professions and how they are given opportunities to practice them in both casual and professional settings.
Career-Focused Education
Stone will be the first to admit that everyone involved in construction and management at UNK’s College of Business and Technology has the students' future careers in mind. He is grateful that all graduates walk across the stage and into a job, but he wants all construction management students to understand that involvement in the Construction Management Organization gives them “leadership opportunities that set them apart.”
A graduate of the program himself, Stone, who has been a CBT lecturer since 2023, brings 14 years of professional experience in the construction industry as well as limitless enthusiasm to the Construction Management Organization. As a previous CMO officer, he understands not only the impact it can have on students but also how it goes above and beyond to prepare them for a career in construction management.
Anyone interested in learning more about the CBT’s Construction Management Organization can reach out to JD Stone in DSCH 311.
