Auburn to Host 2024 Associated Schools of Construction Conference

The conference will take place April 3-5, 2024, at The Hotel at Auburn University, and the focus will be “Transformative Learning Experiences for Construction Educators.”

The conference will kick off with a welcome reception in the Harbert Family Recruiting Center at Jordan-Hare Stadium and will feature several keynote speakers, paper presentations and an awards banquet. One of the highlights of the conference will be a visit to Auburn’s new Rane Culinary Science Center. Each attendee will be able to choose a tasting session of either wine, beer, spirits or non-alcoholic drinks, and there will be tours of the building as well as time to network at the building’s rooftop bar and lounge.

The ASC, of which Auburn is a founding member, has approximately 170 member schools from across the globe. Auburn students regularly compete in ASC competitions, with teams attending at least a half-dozen events every year. The conference began as a collaboration between several universities with 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 on various areas of research and education are anticipated to be presented at the 2024 conference.

Over the years, many universities have hosted ASC, and the conference is an excellent opportunity for schools to show off their curriculum and facilities. It is especially pertinent for Auburn to host as it was one of seven charter members that were present at ASC’s inaugural meeting of ASC 1965. Auburn was set to host the ASC conference in 2021 but it was cancelled due to COVID-19. This is the fourth time Auburn will be hosting the conference, having previously hosted in 1969, 1992 and 2008.

Auburn has a strong record of leadership within the ASC. Four faculty members have served as president, including Frank M. Orr from 1966 to 1967, John Mouton in 1996 and John Murphy from 2002 to 2004. Ben Farrow, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and International Programs in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, finished his term as president in 2022, having led the organization through the challenges of COVID-19. Auburn faculty members Tom Leathem and Wes Collins serve as the Editor and Associate Editor of the conference proceedings. Faculty member Lauren Redden serves as the Assistant Director for ASC Region 2 and Richard Burt, Building Science school head, serves as the Chair of the International Development Committee.

“We believe the student experience and our facilities are the best,” said Dr. Burt. “This conference is a great opportunity to showcase our wonderful programs and fantastic campus, including our new Robins & Morton Construction Field Lab.”