Senior Logan Willard recently received a $4,000 scholarship from TEXO, a construction association in north Texas.
Each year, TEXO awards scholarships to students with the goal of encouraging “the best and brightest” students to come to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, according to the group’s website. In 2012, the association awarded a total of $20,000 to students. The name comes from the Latin word meaning “to build.”
Willard, who is studying construction management at John Brown University, traveled to Dallas in mid-January to interview for the scholarship. He said eight other applicants, from Region V universities such as University of Louisiana at Monroe and University of Arkansas at Little Rock, also completed interviews.
The award marked a “huge win” for the construction management department at the University, Willard said.
“Recognition from a professional association like TEXO is proof that JBU’s CM program is excellent preparation for those who aspire to work alongside architects, engineers, and the like,” Willard said. “It displays the academic and professional capabilities of construction management.”
Willard called the one-time scholarship “one of TEXO’s top awards.” He said that during his interview he focused on his summer 2012 internship at Turner Construction’s Dallas office. He also emphasized his commitment to a long-term career in the Dallas area.
Jim Caldwell, head of the construction management department, said Willard’s persistence and good work experience helped him win the scholarship.
“Selection committees see that Logan is committed to a career in the construction industry and serves in various leadership roles on the JBU campus,” Caldwell added. “Logan securing these competitive scholarships shows that the CM program at JBU is on par with any other construction program.”
Willard said associations such as TEXO are examples of the professional avenues that construction management students can pursue, contrary to people’s typical expectations.
“Too often CM is labeled as a ‘hands on’ major,” Willard said. “However, one doesn’t need a bachelor’s degree to swing a hammer. While construction management does not have a professional stereotype like accounting, engineering, architecture or medical practice, it is every bit the profession that those other vocations are.”