Students will also have the option of taking related construction courses as electives. Representatives from the Collier Building Industry Association collaborated with International College administrators and faculty to bring the program to the local area. We lose out by not having a local program. Potential construction managers go to college at community colleges in north Florida or at the University of Florida and then get recruited away from us by firms in Atlanta or other parts of Florida. Michael Reitmann, Executive Vice President of the Lee Building Industry Association, has been in contact with International College officials about expansion of the program into Lee County.
Construction fuels the economy in southwest Florida.
Dr. Jeannette Brock, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs at International College, said courses will concentrate on organizational skills, scheduling and procedure issues facing managers, engineering and technical concerns, construction law and subcontractor negotiations. Human relations, including issues of diversity, and people management skills will also be curriculum objectives, she said. Brock said the College is currently recruiting professors with master s degrees for the engineering and technical courses. The ideal candidates, she said, would have experience in the construction industry. The College faculty already includes lawyers with expertise and qualifications in construction law, she added.