By John Parkinson, Director of the M.S. In Construction Administration Program at Columbia SPS
It is March 2025, and it has been some 150 years since construction began on what would become the world’s longest suspension bridge. In celebration of Women’s History Month, let us toast Emily Roebling, whose crucial role in the bridge's construction is detailed in Sarah Pruitt's recent History.com article, “How Emily Roebling Saved the Brooklyn Bridge.”
What we are most excited to celebrate and to honor is the exceptional work being done by our graduates, our scholar-practitioner faculty, and indeed our students.
As the daughter-in-law of the designer and original builder of “The Great Bridge,” which united (or at least politically unified) New York City, and the wife of the chief engineer who managed the construction of one of the marvels of engineering in the late 19th century, Emily Roebling left her indelible mark on our society, the built environment, and our way of life.
One of the many impressive ways that Emily Roebling has impacted our lives, all these years and decades later, is how she went about taking up the tasks at hand. “Matter of factly”—that is the simplest way to describe how she went about both her and her husband’s business.
The Brooklyn Bridge was destined to change the world. Like many transportation connection projects in the early 21st century, it was brought to fruition by women-led teams, a trend that continues to shape modern infrastructure development.
The joy of celebrating the achievements and accomplishments of people in the field is not whether they claim one gender identity or another. It is not whether they claim an academic standing as a particular flavor of engineer or even an architect. What is remarkable is that they, whoever they might be, do so simply by stepping up. Our graduates, alumni from across the country and around the globe, are leaning in. Our students, actively enrolled in the program of study for their Master of Science in Construction Administration, take on the tasks at hand and make a difference.
Airports, seaports, tunnels, or bridges—the product type or asset class is less the issue than the scope of work, the schedule, and the projected costs. In the construction administration field, we balance these attributes of the “golden triangle.” In doing so, we focus on building and accomplishing the tasks at hand within the constraints outlined. This is what Emily Roebling did when facilitating the final phase of construction of “The Great Bridge.”
We have Construction Administration professionals from myriad backgrounds, involved in so many projects across the region and around the world. These include planning for and rebuilding housing lost to wildfires on Maui; redevelopment and construction of New Terminal One at JFK; rehabilitation of the Rutgers and Canarsie Tunnels for the L Train and the MTA; construction of the first all-electric global headquarters in midtown Manhattan; completion of “The Summit” and its reinvention of the midtown skyline; and even the first new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River since the Teddy Roosevelt administration.
Construction Administration students, faculty, and alumni are engaged in a wide range of technically challenging projects. They are rooted in sustainability and resiliency, in affordability and accessibility.
Consummate professionals, one and all, they are doing what Emily Roebling did: They are delivering on the promises of improving the quality of life by building for the future, in your neighborhood, in your community.
About the Program
Columbia’s Master of Science in Construction Administration program prepares graduates for a variety of careers at the forefront of construction and project leadership. Graduates develop rewarding careers with some of the world’s most respected architecture, engineering, and construction firms, entrusted with delivering some of the most impactful projects of our time.
The fall 2025 application deadline for the M.S. in Construction Administration program is June 1. Learn more about the program here.
