A Mississippi Center for Providing Innovative Solutionsfor the Materials and Construction Industries Overview, Charter of Organization, and Industry Supporters
June 1, 1998
An ambitious new program is under development. Called the Mississippi Center for Construction and Materials Research and Education, the program will be a special, privately funded engineering center and laboratory tasked with supporting these needs in the state of Mississippi. It will be located at Mississippi State University, within the Civil Engineering Department. Leading and directing the work of the Center will be a nationally recognized professor, yet to be recruited, to fill the Chair of Construction and Materials. This Chair will be endowed by investments from members of the materials and construction industries, and will be an elite position capable of expertise of some notoriety. Additionally, a new materials laboratory is being planned with approximately one million dollars in equipment from the state.
Fundraising for the endowment is underway and will generate $1.25 million over five years. Industry commitments have reached $700 thousand at this date. With sufficient early commitments, the university has a plan that will get the program up and running by next year, even though all the funds will not be completed for five years.
Objectives of the Center for Construction and Materials Research and Education include:
Solving construction and materials problems, especially those unique to Mississippi
Developing new technologies for construction and maintenance
Providing certification and training to meet new state and federal standards
Training engineers and skilled workers
Helping make the Mississippi construction and materials industries more profitable
Enabling Mississippi to grow stronger by providing a research resource instate
Enhancing the State of Mississippi’s image and reputation
Strategies for accomplishing the Center’s objectives include:
Attracting a nationally recognized professor to lead the program
Creating a world-class construction and materials laboratory
Tapping the strength’s of all the Mississippi institutions of higher learning
Supporting students who will have an interest in construction and materials
Providing seminars, short courses, and other educational programs for the construction and materials industries
Support for Chair in Materials and Construction
The leadership for the Center for Construction and Materials Research and Education is extremely important. That person must possess a national reputation, be able to direct significant research projects, build the laboratory for research and maintain relationships with key government, industry and academic individuals. An endowed chair is the best tool for recruiting this talented individual. At Mississippi State, a Chair must have $1.25 million of funding to be fully endowed.
Companies who are leaders within the materials and construction industries are being asked to join this effort and support its creation financially. Pledges are being sought which can be paid over a five year time period. Early discussions with industry leaders have yielded much success.
Here is the progress towards funding the $1.25 million chair:
August 1997 $125,000
September $250,000
October $300,000
December $362,500
March 98 $457,500
July 98 $675,000
Current Industry Supporters
APAC – Mississippi, Inc.
Ergon, Inc.
Falco Lime, Inc.
Jackson Ready Mix Concrete
Mississippi Concrete Industry Association
Mississippi Materials Company, Inc.
Mississippi Road Builders Association
Southeastern Concrete Shippers Association
Southland Oil Company
Vulcan Materials Company
W. E. Blaine & Sons, Inc.
How an Endowed Chair Will Work
The amount of $1.25 million, raised from industry support, will be invested by the Mississippi State Foundation. A portion of the earnings will be available as a salary supplement to a faculty position in the Civil Engineering department at MSU. That faculty position will become the Chair in Materials and Construction.
Part I
State funded
faculty position $65,000/year
Endowment earnings $40,000/year
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Total $105,000/year salary for Chair
Part 2
Some of the endowment earnings will go fund graduate students. An estimate would be $20,000 per year for two graduate students.
Part 3
That would still leave some of the earnings left for special equipment needs.
What is Mississippi State University’s commitment to making the Center a reality?
MSU will fund part of the Chair salary
MSU will fund the “phase-in” of the industry support for the Chair
MSU will provide the building and the related overhead for the laboratory
Charter of Organization
Purpose
The Mississippi Center for Construction and Materials Research and Education (the Center) is a highly focused laboratory specializing in advancing the state of the highway construction industry. This focus is carried out by developing new technological solutions as well as improving existing practices. In addition, it helps meet the training and certification needs of the construction and materials industries.
The Center is located at Mississippi State University within the Civil Engineering Department, and is lead by the Director of the Center, who holds the Chair of Construction and Materials at MSU. Expertise is drawn from other universities and from the community colleges, helping to make the Center a “Mississippi partnership of higher education resources.” The Chair is endowed by gifts made by members of the construction and materials industries.
The Board of Advisors (the Board) shall serve as an advisory board to the Center. It shall provide advice and direction in helping set the priorities of the Center. It shall serve as a conduit for input from the construction and materials industries as well as for concerned government agencies, such as the Mississippi Department of Transportation. It shall also seek to inform those same groups of the available resources, programs and accomplishments of the Center.
Composition of the Board
The composition of the Board shall consist of not more than twenty-five members, each holding a four-year term. Up to eleven members shall come from the construction industry, up to eleven members from the materials industry, and up to three members from the Mississippi Department of Transportation. All members from industry shall be selected from the largest supporters of the 1997 fundraising effort to endow the Chair for the Center. At some point in time, this may include future supporters of the Center. The Dean of the College of Engineering will select those members. The Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation will select the members representing them.
Executive Committee
There shall be an Executive Committee that consists of the Director of the Center, a Chair of the Board, a Vice-Chair, a Secretary and five Members-At-Large. The Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary of the Executive Committee shall be elected by vote of the Board from nominations made from the floor at the Board meeting at which the vote is taken. Members-At-Large shall be appointed by the Director. Within this structure, the composition of the Executive Committee shall maintain the following balance: one member coming from the asphalt industry, one from the concrete industry, one from the road building industry, two from the Mississippi Department of Transportation, one from Mississippi State University, and three from the largest financial supporters of the Chair.
The Chair and Vice-Chair shall serve a term of one year. The Secretary and Members-At-Large shall serve terms of two years, and the Director shall serve as a permanent member. No member of the Executive Committee, other than the Director, shall serve consecutive terms in the same position. The Chair and Vice-Chair will be selected at each spring meeting. The Secretary and Members-At-Large will be selected at the spring Board meeting every other year, or as vacancy requires.
Activities of the Board
The Chair shall be responsible for presiding over all meetings of the Board and the Executive Committee. The Vice-Chair shall preside in the absence of the Chair. The Secretary shall be responsible for recording minutes of all meetings and distributing them to all members within one month following the meeting. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for establishing the agenda for all Board meetings.
The Board shall meet at least twice yearly, normally in the fall and spring. The Executive Committee shall meet prior to each Board meeting. The Board may also be called to meet when the Director of the Center deems it necessary.
Presentations of ongoing research and efforts shall be presented to the Board. Discussion of potential areas for new projects shall be discussed and appropriate direction given. The Board shall recommend specific areas for investment of research resources. In addition, the Board will provide feedback to Dean of the College of Engineering regarding Center performance as well as Center resource needs.
Voting
A simple majority of the members present is required for any election of adoption of any resolution.
Amendments
Appropriate resolution and vote at either of the twice-yearly meeting of the Board or any special meeting of the Board may amend this Charter of Organization.