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Mentorship Enables Enhanced Capstone Course for Roger Williams University Construction Management Students
BRISTOL, RI — At Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, Shawmut has built a partnership with the School of Engineering, Computing, and Construction Management — in addition to completing various projects across campus and hiring graduates through the Construction Management Skills Training (CMST) program. While it is not uncommon for RWU's SECCM curriculum to weave in real-world examples, Shawmut enhanced the partnership with the institution by offering mentorships with its field staff.
Most recently, Kate Simons, Director of Scheduling and Controls for the New England Region, took on this role, leveraging her experience and leadership and accompanied by two Assistant Project Managers and recent graduates of RWU. The team, who dedicated time outside their daily responsibilities, partnered with professors to mentor 20 seniors as part of their final capstone course.
Utilizing the under-construction North Hall student residence at Rhode Island School of Design, Simons and the team developed a comprehensive, real-life case study. Mentoring students along the way, Simons created weekly deliverables that took students through a typical large-scale construction process — including responding to a request for proposal and developing a schedule, budget, site-specific logistics, and safety plan.
In addition to weekly coaching and student-focused feedback sessions, Simons scheduled safe walkthroughs of the site and led workshops on various subject matters, including Last Planner System, Lean Construction, logistics, and public speaking. At the conclusion of the semester, students presented their specific approaches to the project in a mock GC/client interview.
Trends New England ConstructionMost recently, Kate Simons, Director of Scheduling and Controls for the New England Region, took on this role, leveraging her experience and leadership and accompanied by two Assistant Project Managers and recent graduates of RWU. The team, who dedicated time outside their daily responsibilities, partnered with professors to mentor 20 seniors as part of their final capstone course.
Utilizing the under-construction North Hall student residence at Rhode Island School of Design, Simons and the team developed a comprehensive, real-life case study. Mentoring students along the way, Simons created weekly deliverables that took students through a typical large-scale construction process — including responding to a request for proposal and developing a schedule, budget, site-specific logistics, and safety plan.
In addition to weekly coaching and student-focused feedback sessions, Simons scheduled safe walkthroughs of the site and led workshops on various subject matters, including Last Planner System, Lean Construction, logistics, and public speaking. At the conclusion of the semester, students presented their specific approaches to the project in a mock GC/client interview.
