Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- Department of industrial studies students in Construction Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville are gaining career experience and skills as they oversee the construction of a house as part of the class. Marc Shelstrom, professor of building construction management, teaches the class.

The three bedroom ranch style house is the future home of Chad Digman. Recipients of the student built houses benefit in that they don't pay labor costs. In addition, they are given the opportunity to donate to the building construction management account of the UWP Foundation. These donations fund building construction management scholarships, competitions and the purchase of new tools for the Construction Laboratory. Another benefit to the homeowner is that all the houses built by Construction Laboratory students are energy efficient and exceed the minimum requirements for Energy Star homes.

The fact that the construction of the house is completely student managed makes the project unique said Shelstrom. Students also work with the homeowner to design the house. Two project managers, one for each section of the class, manage the construction, scheduling, ordering of supplies and work with the subcontractors under the supervision of Shelstrom. To become a project manager, students submit a letter of application and résumé to Shelstrom. He and Mark Albers, professor of building construction management, then interview the applicants and choose the candidates.

Kevin Rauch, a recent graduate of UWP in building construction managment, was a project manager for the house that was built last year. He said that the experience he gained helps him in his current career.

"My experience as a project manager on the building construction management home strengthened my communication and time management skills. I am employed as an estimator/project manager and utilize these skills daily as I work with sub contractors and clients so projects are completed on time," said Rauch.

According to Shelstrom, the most important aspect of the class is the hands-on experience students gain while constructing the house. He says that having experience gives them a lead in the job market, since every student who graduates from the program is trained to become a manager.

"When these students get a job, they'll have the experience so they can get right to work. They'll know how to solve problems because they know the process, procedure and how to use the tools," said Dick Klawiter, chair of the Department of Industrial Studies.

Aside from gaining experience, students in Construction Laboratory also develop a sense of camaraderie and gain new friendships.

"The BCM house project created several new friendships for me. Working on the house allowed you to get to know people in an environment where everyone has something in common. After working with each other for several weeks, we started to team up on other class projects and today we still keep in touch about our jobs and what we are up to," stated Rauch.

Shelstrom emphasized that the quality of students he has is what makes each project successful.

"I spend more time on this class than all my other classes combined. I wouldn't do that if I didn't have the quality of students that I have at UWP. They are top notch and I enjoy working with them," said Shelstrom.

Anyone wanting more information about the house building project may contact Shelstrom at (608) 342-1145 or shelstrm@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Marc Shelstrom, professor of building construction management, (608) 342-1145,shelstrm@uwplatt.edu Written by: Krystle Kurdi, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, kurdik@uwplatt.edu