I am writing to my colleagues in academia and industry to help promote a discussion concerning the direction that civil engineering education must choose for its foreseeable future. The ASCE Body of Knowledge and the National Academy of Engineering have set the challenge for us. Distinguished colleagues such as Mike Garvin of Virginia Tech and Jeff Russell of the University of Wisconsin-Madison have previously stated the need for our community to address this issue. I renew the challenge that we urgently discuss this matter, not as an argument on the number of units required of a student, but a real discussion on the types of knowledge that a future leader in our industry requires.
Civil engineering builds on a history as deep as recorded civilization. The greatest man-made wonders of the world owe a debt to the innovations inspired by civil engineers. However, just as each generation of great innovators challenged the accepted thoughts of their time, the time is at hand for the current generation to recognize the imperative of change. The facts are indisputable. Consider the following: