University of Mary Builds Distinctive Three-Year Pathway from Classroom to Construction Career
New Sponsorship and Mentorship Program combines scholarships, paid employment, and three years of structured mentorship with the same company
BISMARCK, ND — A summer internship can give a college student experience. The University of Mary wants to give future construction leaders something much deeper: three years of increasingly advanced, hands-on experience with the same company, professional mentors at every stage, paid employment, and scholarship support — all before graduation.
The University of Mary is introducing a distinctive approach to construction education in the Upper Midwest through its new Construction Management Sponsorship and Mentorship Program. The model brings together elements often found separately in college construction programs — scholarships, internships, industry mentorship, and workforce development — and intentionally connects them into one continuous pathway from freshman year through graduation.
Michael Douglas, chair of Construction Management in the Hamm School of Engineering, says the program was created to bridge a gap between what students learn in the classroom and what it takes to manage complex construction projects in the field.
“Our goal is to make that transition intentional and meaningful,” Douglas said. “Over three summers, students will connect academic knowledge with job-site practice, learn how field and office decisions affect one another, and develop the judgment, communication, and leadership habits employers need.”
Unlike traditional internships in which students may perform similar duties each summer — sometimes for different employers — Mary’s program establishes a structured three-year relationship between a student and sponsoring company, with responsibilities increasing each summer.
After freshman year, students begin in field operations, learning job-site safety, materials, tools, production, teamwork and logistics. The second summer advances into coordination and basic management responsibilities. By the third, students move toward project management, gaining experience with estimating, budgets, contracts, project controls and client relationships.
Each stage includes an assigned industry mentor, defined learning objectives, and University of Mary oversight.
“If I had to sum up the difference in one word, that word would be ‘formation,’” Douglas said.
Companies invest in students — and future employees
Sponsoring companies commit a modest investment for each sponsorship opportunity. Once a student accepts a company’s mentorship offer and successfully completes the summer experience, that year’s investment becomes a scholarship available to the student the following fall. Students also receive wages and benefits negotiated separately with their sponsoring company.
Students aren’t simply assigned to employers. They research participating companies, interview, discuss compensation, and ultimately help choose the partnership — a process Douglas says teaches professional initiative and gives both sides a reason to invest in the relationship.
Miller Insulation is among the first companies stepping forward to participate. Founder, President and CEO Brad Miller says the new model gives his company an opportunity to help students develop while also addressing a significant industry need.
“There is a shortage of good construction managers in the industry,” Miller said.
By working with students over three consecutive summers, Miller says both sides have time to determine whether they are a good long-term fit. Many of Miller Insulation’s construction managers are themselves graduates of construction management programs and can draw on that experience as mentors.
“Students can see and feel real-life construction applications, and we get to help develop future leaders,” Miller said.
Building North Dakota’s workforce
Douglas believes those sustained relationships could have implications beyond individual students and companies. A student who spends three summers working in North Dakota builds connections with coworkers, mentors, clients, subcontractors, and communities — relationships that could make remaining in the state after graduation more attractive, particularly for students who came to Mary from elsewhere.
The University of Mary is currently recruiting its first group of sponsoring companies for the program. The program is open to Construction Management students and Construction Engineering students pursuing project-management careers.
Douglas says the program could eventually serve as a model for other degrees within the Hamm School of Engineering.
“This program is about more than filling jobs,” Douglas said. “Construction management is a dynamic vocation. Construction leaders make decisions that affect safety, families, companies, communities, and the built environment for decades.”
Companies interested in joining the inaugural group of sponsoring partners in the University of Mary’s Construction Management Sponsorship and Mentorship Program are encouraged to visit their webpage.
