The Master of Science in Construction Administration program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies is pleased to announce the appointment of John Parkinson to serve as its Program Director. Parkinson will assume the leadership reins from Francisco X. Pineda, FRICS, who has led the Construction Administration program to its #1 ranking in the nation.
“I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with Francisco over the past two years, while teaching in this program. He has been a force of nature in his presence and the dynamic manner in which he engages with students and faculty alike,” shares Parkinson. Pineda will continue his research and writing, as well as his teaching in the program, while also assisting in the development and delivery of the mission for the Construction Administration program.
“The focus of the program, as we look towards the coming academic year, will be: People, Purpose, and Projects,” according to Parkinson. He adds, “the theme for our classes, professional development events, and networking opportunities will be to engage and continue to develop our sense of community. We will build on the foundation of collaboration among our students and alumni, and our scholar-practitioner faculty to cultivate an environment that exemplifies the best-in-class experience for the students of the number one ranked Construction Management program in the country.”
The M.S. in Construction Administration program leadership team, consisting of Francisco Pineda, John Parkinson, and Michele Trizzino, Assistant Director of Administration, will continue to focus on bringing in new talented students to the program, developing the Fellowship program for students, and strengthening alumni community engagement.
During his first two years with the M.S. in Construction Administration program, Parkinson has been actively involved in teaching the Construction Project Management course, as well as the Construction Capstone course. Parkinson has also developed the syllabus for, and delivered the inaugural sections of the elective Innovative Project Delivery Methods. Parkinson added that, “the timeliness of this offering distinguishes our program, as the construction sector had been building at such a rapid pace in commercial development, and now finds it having pivoted towards public works.”
Like so many others in the Columbia community, the M.S. in Construction Administration program transitioned quickly to remote learning and then the HyFlex modality upon the onset of COVID-19. The students and faculty in the program responded professionally and worked together to achieve at the highest levels academically, while working on many of the most transformative and dynamic construction projects in the region and elsewhere across the country and around the world. It is an exciting time, despite and in fact because of the uncertainties associated with this global pandemic, and managing and dealing with its impacts on the construction industry and the built environment.
