The University of Texas at Dallas School of Management has won a contract to provide project management training for executives, project managers and support personnel who are working on a $5.3 billion construction project to expand the Panama Canal. The Authority Canal Panama (ACP) is undertaking a major expansion project to modernize the 92-year-old aging waterway by widening and deepening the canal. When completed, the canal is expected to improve world trade and spur economic growth in Panama.
Professors from the School of Management’s Project Management program are currently training approximately 145 ACP employees in Panama March 12 – July 20. UT Dallas is partnering with CH2M Hill, a construction management company that is providing construction project training. The training includes a two-day session for 17 executives; two, two-week sessions for 30 project managers; and three, two-week sessions for engineers, project leaders and other staff. The training focuses on educating executives and project managers about the importance of a standardized project management system, how to apply it to the expansion project and educate their teams.
“This will be a great opportunity for us to gain more exposure in the international arena for project management training and education,” said Jim Joiner, project manager for the contract and director of the UT Dallas Project Management program. Joiner will conduct the training along with program faculty member Dr. Tom Sheives and executive project managers from CH2M Hill.
Dr. David Springate, associate dean for executive education at UT Dallas, said winning the ACP contract, which is worth nearly $450,000 to the university, demonstrates the recognized quality of the university’s Project Management program, its leaders and their ability to develop and disseminate knowledge geared toward helping shape management practices in a global economy.
“We are honored and excited about the opportunity to help deliver quality training for executives and staff working on the Panama Canal project. This opportunity brings more international recognition to the excellence our Project Management program offers,” Springate said. “We are committed to helping develop leaders and establish business practices that strengthen not only local economics, but ultimately help impact the future of global business.”
Construction on the Panama Canal expansion project is scheduled for completion by August, 2014, the 100th anniversary of the opening of the canal.
UT Dallas’ Project Management program is a leader in providing application-oriented education for professionals with significant project, program or general management responsibilities. The 10-year-old program is taught by world-class faculty with a blend of industrial project management, consulting and teaching experience. More information about the UTD Project Management program is available at http://som.utdallas.edu/project/.
About the School of Management
Faculty in the School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas rank 32rd in research productivity nationwide, based on publications in the top 24 business journals spanning all areas of business. Financial Times, using a broader set of 40 journals, ranks UT Dallas’ management faculty 30th
worldwide. Financial Times also ranks the university’s Executive MBA program 48th in the world and 22nd in the U.S, and U.S. News and World Report lists UT Dallas’ full-time Cohort MBA program 54th nationwide and 25th at public colleges and universities in the United States. The School of Management is the largest of UT Dallas’ seven schools, with an enrollment of nearly 4,700, of which 2,500 are graduate students.
About UT Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelors, masters and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UT Dallas, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.
Contact Jill Glass, UT Dallas, (972) 883-6298, pschoch@utdallas.edu