Since our last newsletter, our Department of Civil Engineering has quite a lot to brag about. I am particularly proud of the 88% pass rate for our Senior-level students who took the FE licensing examination in the Spring 2008 semester. In addition, we are seeing a steady increase in the number of first-time freshman entering our Engineering program. Finally, I'm happy to share news that our Department's sponsored research funding has increased significantly. Several examples are summarized in the following sections.

Sponsored Research Awards in Civil Engineering
Externally funded research is the engine that drives the nation's top engineering programs. Members of our Civil Engineering faculty continue to distinguish themselves in the nationally competitive research arena. In 2007, our faculty received $2,875,000 in new awards for major research studies in the areas of Intermodal Transportation, Earthquake Engineering, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Ground Water, and GIS research and modeling to mention a few. This high level research awards distributed between multiple Civil Engineering areas makes our program look very good on a national level. As a result, we have attracted a diverse and talented group of students representing multiple nationalities as applicants to our graduate programs. These students will have opportunities to participate in these funded research studies while being mentored by members of our faculty.

Community Service and Outreach Programs
I am also pleased to share news of our Department's ongoing participation in multiple local and regional community programs in an effort to increase awareness of career and educational opportunities in the disciplines of science, math, technology, and engineering (STEM). The Girls Experiencing Engineering Program (GEE) expanded the Summer 2008 sessions to include special focus areas including Transportation Engineering and Leadership. In addition, faculty members from our Department teamed with local sponsors from the West TN ASCE Younger Members Section to host CanStruction, a design/build competition involving teams of high school students working with Engineering students and local professional engineers and architects. Both programs are described in further detail in this edition of Concrete Issues.

In addition, we are in the process of renovating one of our classrooms with new furniture to enhance and support our students' learning environments. Examples of improvements include replacing individual student desks with conference tables and chairs to facilitate small group communication areas and space for students' laptops and textbooks. Again, these renovations are a direct result of your financial support and “in-kind” donations, and we are deeply appreciative for your assistance.

In Summary
As many of you may know, Dr. Wheeler retired in Summer 2008. In May, he relocated to Texas, where his daughter and grandchildren live. Additional information regarding his retirement festivities and post-retirement activities are included in this Issue of Concrete Issues. We miss him and wish him the best. I believe we'd all agree that Dr. Wheeler is one-of-a-kind, and he leaves quite a legacy with faculty, administrators, alumni, and students. Currently, we are in the process of hiring a new faculty member in the Transportation area, and we hope to have this position filled for the Spring 2009 semester.

I would like to conclude this message by stating that I am encouraged and excited about our Department of Civil Engineering at The University of Memphis. We offer a premier program, which is affordable and outstanding.

I speak for each of our faculty members and students when I thank you for your support, and I encourage each of you to keep in touch with us and share news of your own lives as Civil Engineering alumni through our bi-annual editions of Concrete Issues.