SCMEF

🎓🤠🏗️ Boots, scholarships, awards, and student success — the Richard Nickels Scholarship & Awards Night on April 28, 2026 was one to remember!

Sacramento Construction Management Education Foundation was proud to award $32,000 in scholarships to 35 Sacramento State Construction Management students, helping support and recognize the next generation of industry leaders. Altogether, more than $100,000 in scholarships and awards were presented to our students throughout the evening.

Hosted by Mikael Anderson and the Construction Management Department, the evening celebrated the accomplishments, dedication, and hard work of our CM students over the past year.

Adding to the fun, this year’s event embraced a Western/Cowboy theme, and our students, faculty, and guests did not disappoint! From cowboy hats and boots to western-inspired outfits, many attendees fully embraced the spirit of the evening and brought a lot of energy and fun to the celebration. 🤠⭐

We were also honored to welcome Sacramento State Vice Provost, Lorri Santamaría, whose thoughtful and humorous remarks made the evening even more memorable.

The night also recognized the outstanding accomplishments of our student competition teams, including all 10 teams that competed in the Associated Schools of Construction student competition in Sparks, Nevada.

Congratulations to our Construction Management Hornets! 🐝🏗️

Out of 56 universities and 246 teams nationwide, Sac State students earned:
🥇 1st Place — Region 7 Commercial Construction
🥈 2nd Place — National Project Management

We also recognized our Concrete Solutions team for their impressive accomplishment at the ASC Region 3 Great Lakes Competition in Chicago, where they earned:
🥈 2nd Place — Concrete Solutions Competition

One of the evening highlights was showcasing the ASC Regions 6 & 7 competition highlights film, filmed and produced by Sac State film students, capturing the countless hours of preparation, studying, competition moments, and unforgettable celebrations along the way.

From cowboy boots to hard hats, the future of construction is in great hands. Congratulations to all of our students and award recipients — we are incredibly proud of all you continue to accomplish!

🤠🏗️🐝

Built the degree ✅
Built the memories ✅
Next stop: building the future 👷‍♂️🎓
Congratulations Sacramento State Construction Management Class of 2026 💚💛

The Sacramento State Construction Management (CM) faculty recently attended the annual Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) International Conference, hosted this year by California Polytechnic State University.

We’re proud to share a few highlights showcasing the continued excellence of our CM program:

👏 Excellence in Teaching Award
Dr. Tarek Salama was recognized with an award for Excellence in Teaching—an incredible honor that reflects his dedication to student success and impactful education.

📚 Research & Collaboration
A research paper co-authored by Dr. Atefeh Mohammadpour along with fellow Sacramento State faculty member Dr. Garima Soharu Bhandari (Mechanical Engineering Department) and graduate student Neelkumar Ahir, was presented during the conference paper sessions—highlighting the innovative work coming out of Sac State.

Moments like these reinforce the strength of Sacramento State’s Construction Management program and the commitment of its faculty to excellence in both teaching and research.

👏 Please join us in congratulating our outstanding faculty!

🔨 SCMEF Evening With Industry – April 6th 🔨

We had an incredible Evening With Industry hosted by McClone Construction at their SMF Terminal B Parking Garage Project!

Students had the opportunity to walk the jobsite, connect with industry professionals, and get a firsthand look at a large-scale, multi-level parking structure supporting Sacramento International Airport’s Terminal B.

McClone Construction is a highly respected specialty contractor and industry leader in structural concrete and concrete formwork. With over 40 years of experience, they bring expertise in structural concrete systems, post-tensioning, and forming—playing a critical role in delivering complex projects like this one.

It was especially valuable for students to see how specialty contractors like McClone contribute to the success of major builds from the ground up.

And of course, a huge thank you to Schetter Electric for an amazing taco dinner on their BBQ rig 🌮🔥Their cooking is always a crowd favorite!

👏 Thank you to McClone Construction and Otto Construction for hosting and sharing your knowledge.

👏 And to our students and industry partners for making the evening such a success.

Experiences like this are what bridge the gap between classroom and career.

Stingers Up! 🐝

🎉 Welcome to Our Newest SCMEF Board Members! 🎉

Please join us in welcoming John Peace (Turner Construction), Kurt Kniffin (Stacy Witbeck), and Trace McCown (Teichert Construction) to the SCMEF Board!

We’re excited to have these outstanding industry leaders now serving on the SCMEF Board and helping guide our mission forward. Their experience, leadership, and commitment to our community will make a meaningful impact.

Welcome aboard, John, Kurt, and Trace! 👏

It’s Sac State Give Day! 💚💛

Support the CSUS Construction Management Department and help us build the future—one student at a time. 🏗️

Give today:
www.scmef.org/donate
or
https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1894/19/home-hero.aspx?sid=1894&gid=2&pgid=418&cid=1063&bledit=1&appealcode=AB28&dids=210

Every gift counts!

Exciting week of collaboration and advancing construction education! 🏗️✨

SCMEF is honored to join Sacramento State Construction Management faculty to support and enhance our university's presence at the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) Midyear Meetings and Construction Industry Forum in Irving, Texas.

Represented by SCMEF Board President, Forest Podva, was privileged to stand alongside:

🔹 Mikael Anderson – Past Chair, Professor, & Treasurer of ACCE

🔹 Tarek Salama, Ph.D., PMP – Associate Professor

This national conference provided an invaluable platform to connect with other industry advisory boards and university programs from across the country. By exchanging insights and sharing best practices, we are actively working to elevate construction education and ensure our Sac State CM students continue to receive top-tier, industry-aligned training.

A strong partnership between academia and the industry is how we build the future! Check out some highlights from the forum's panels, presentations, and networking events. 👇

Stingers Up!

🎯 Registration is OPEN!

Join us Friday, May 1st at Camanche Hills for the 16th Annual SCMEF Sporting Clay Shoot & BBQ Lunch!

We’ve added a 4th course this year — room for 10 more teams!

Shoot. Network. Eat BBQ. Support Sac State Construction Management students.

Spots will fill fast — grab yours today!
🔗 https://www.scmef.org/event-details/annual-clay-shoot-bbq-lunch-2026