Endowed professorships awarded
to construction science faculty

Four faculty members at Texas A&M's Department of Construction Science have been awarded endowed professorships beginning this fall and ending in August 2012.

A selection committee composed of College of Architecture faculty reviewed nominations for the professorships and forwarded recommendations to the dean, Jorge Vanegas, who approved the selections.

The Harold L. Adams '61 Endowed Interdisciplinary Professorship in Construction Science went to Sarel Lavy, assistant professor of construction science. Lavy, who joined the faculty in 2005, is interested in facilities management, health care and education sector construction engineering, maintenance performance, life cycle costs techniques and quantitative methods in facilities management.

He earned a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2006, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 2002 and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1999, all at the Israel Institute of Technology.

The Adams Professorship was established by Harold Adams ’61 of Baltimore, MD in 2006.  It  is one of three endowed faculty positions Adams donated in three different departments of the College of Architecture to promote cross-disciplinary teaching and research.

Julian Kang, associate professor of construction science, received the History Maker Homes Endowed Professorship. A member of the Texas A&M faculty since 2002, Kang is interested in utilizing emerging information technologies such as building information modeling, 4-D visualization and radio frequency identification for construction engineering and project management.

He earned a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M in 2001, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering in 1988 and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1986 from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.

The History Maker Homes Endowed Professorship was established in 1991 by Bryan N. Mitchell, Sr. ‘70 CEO of the Fort Worth home-building firm the for which the professorship is named.  Mitchell, his son B. Nelson Mitchell Jr. ‘84 and father O.N. Mitchell, Jr. in 2006 provided additional gifts totaling more than $2.3 million to position Texas A&M as the nation’s leader in teaching residential construction and design.

The James C. Smith Endowed Professorship was awarded to José Fernández-Solis, assistant professor of construction science. A faculty member since 2006, Fernández-Solis’ teaching, research and engagement interests are in the areas of sustainability, environment, theory, capstone materials and methods and advanced project management.

He earned a Ph.D at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2006, a Master of Theology in 1979 and a Master of Divinity in 1978 at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1972.

The professorship honors professor James C. Smith ‘70, former head of the Department of Construction Science. It was established 2004 by multiple donors to honor Smith’s service to the department and the construction industry.  The professorship is designed to encourage cooperation between academia and construction professionals.

Associate professor Kenneth Williamson III was reappointed as holder of the Cecil Windsor Jr. '66 Endowed Professorship. A member of the construction science faculty since 1997, Williamson’s specialties include educational psychology, instructional design, equipment management, computer technologies and agile construction management strategies.

He holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Psychology and Technology, a Master of Science in Construction Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Public Administration, all earned at the University of Oklahoma in 1994, 1990 and 1977, respectively.

The Windsor Professorship was established in 2003 by Houston-based Gamma Construction Company and its president Keith Williams ’78 to focus on the advancement of new technology in the field of construction science.

- Posted: Nov. 17, 2010 -

Contact:   Phillip Rollfing, prollfing@archone.tamu.edu or 979.458.0442.