Auburn to Host ASC Conference

Scheduled to run April 7–10, 2021, the conference will commemorate the 75th anniversary of McWhorter’s first graduate. Additionally, Dr. Ben Farrow, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and International Programs, will begin his term as ASC president in April 2021. The conference’s theme will emphasize how the past builds the future and will feature a welcoming reception at Jordan Hare and an awards banquet at the Red Barn at the Agriculture Heritage Park. Conference attendees will also get a chance to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, a project for which several BSCI alumni served as project managers with Doster Construction.

The ASC, of which Auburn is a founding member, features roughly 170 schools internationally. ASC also oversees several student competitions that Auburn students regularly compete in. The conference began as a collaboration initiative between several universities that featured construction programs. The annual summit is designed to allow the construction community to gather and share research, discuss best practices in teaching, and foster partnerships between academia and industry. Nearly 130 papers have already been submitted to the 2021 conference.

Over the years, universities from across the globe have hosted ASC. When at Auburn, the conference will showcase the university’s top-tier facilities as an example of best construction practices. “We believe we’re one of the best programs in the country, with the best facilities,” says Dr. Richard Burt, McWhorter school head. Dr. Burt says the ASC conference is “an opportunity to show what you have” and hopes the new and updated facilities, like the Gorrie Center, will be a highlight of the conference.

Dr. Burt also says there’s a lot about the 2021 conference that will be special. “We wanted to do something significant to honor the 75th anniversary of first BSCI graduate,” he says. In addition to being the first conference with Dr. Farrow as ASC president, this will be the first time the conference has been hosted in the Deep South since 2009. The last time Auburn hosted the ASC conference was in 2008.

For more information on the Associated Schools of Construction, visit their website at www.ascweb.org.