Published April 04, 2014
The University of Louisiana at Monroe welcomed Mark Graham, a 1995 Construction Management
graduate, who presented a check on behalf of the Louisiana Contractors Educational
Trust Fund to Dr. Keith Parker, director of the ULM School of Construction Management.
The check, totaling $100,000, will go toward the “Thurman Potts Endowed Professorship.”
With this check, the Louisiana Contractors Educational Trust Fund has now provided
over $1.2 million in support for the School of Construction Management.
The professorship is named after Thurman Potts, the first director of the then-named
Department of Building Construction.
The professorship provides funds to the holding faculty member for research, classroom
supplies, student trips, and more.
Potts was thankful to the overwhelming crowd for their attendance and support of both
him and the university.
Dean Ron Berry, Graham, Bruno, and Parker
Potts arrived at ULM in 1966 after working for 20 years as an architect, and in 1976,
Potts led the program in becoming the first accredited construction program of its
kind in the United States.
Potts retired from the university in 1987 and became Professor Emeritus in 1988.
Emeritus status is awarded to retired faculty members who have given numerous years
of service, and who are perceived to have contributed largely to the progress and
sustainability of the university and its programs.
“As the father of the construction management program, he often returns to check on
his ‘kids,’” said ULM President Dr. Nick J. Bruno. “It’s our duty to nurture and continue
to grow the program for him.”
According to current Director of the School of Construction Management, Dr. Keith
Parker, the program has graduated over 2,000 students who have gone on to work in
the construction field.
Potts is also a member of the school’s Industry Advisory Council. The members of the
council were in attendance for the ceremony.
The council—made up of local and national construction firm leaders—has been vital
in helping sustain the school and keep its students competitive in the field.
Potts and the other council members, advise the school director and faculty members
on industry-related matters, helping the school make appropriate changes in its curriculum
to meet the demands of the fast-growing construction industry.
The Thurman Potts Endowed Professorship was established to encourage and reward excellence
in teaching, and demonstrate scholarly expertise in an appropriate field of construction
management.
