UA’s Fridley Receives ASCE ExCEEd Leadership Award

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. Kenneth J. Fridley, University of Alabama professor and head of civil, construction and environmental engineering, recently received the American Society of Civil Engineering’s ExCEEd Leadership Award.

The award honors an ASCE member who has shown exceptional leadership and dedication to educational activities within the organization and is presented by the ASCE Education Activities Committee at the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference. ExCEEd is ASCE’s program for excellence in civil engineering education.

Fridley’s leadership efforts with ASCE’s civil engineering body of knowledge committee and the body of knowledge educational fulfillment committee, along with his active participation on the engineering education task force of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying and on ASCE’s National Civil Engineering Department Heads Executive Council were noted in his selection.

Fridley began working at the Capstone in 2003 as professor and head of the civil, construction and environmental engineering department. Under his leadership, the department has experienced remarkable growth in both undergraduate and graduate enrollment as well as research activity. He was instrumental in leading the effort to establish the Capstone’s construction engineering and management program, which is one of 10 such programs throughout the country.

In addition to teaching and research, Fridley is involved in numerous professional activities and organizations. Since 1990, he has been a member of the American Society for Engineering Education. In 2008, he was named a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and he has held numerous leadership positions in the organization.

Fridley received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Washington State University in 1985. He continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin where he received his master’s degree in structural and architectural engineering in 1986. He received his doctorate in structural engineering from Auburn University in 1990.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 2,700 students and over 100 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.