The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (April 5) ratified a plan to merge the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and the Division of Construction Engineering and Management. The change will be effective July 1, 2024, when the school’s name will be changed to the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering.

The move will bring together 125 CEM students and 613 CE undergraduates under the same leadership. There will be no changes to the degrees earned by graduates: the degrees will remain the same and two separate degrees will be offered. There will be no changes to the curriculum or internship programs, either.

“Establishing the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering aligns with the College of Engineering’s persistent pursuit of excellence at scale,” said Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, Robert V. Adams Professor in Mechanical Engineering and professor of Materials Engineering by courtesy. “The joint school will benefit students, staff and faculty, grow both programs to better address industry needs, and be positioned to offer new degree and research programs.”

Rao S. Govindaraju will continue as the Bowen Engineering Head of Civil Engineering and Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Professor of Civil Engineering to lead the newly reorganized school.

“This merger is a win for all students, faculty and staff,” Govindaraju said. “This will allow us to leverage the strengths of both programs to provide more opportunities for students in the classroom, through industry engagement and more.

“This change marks an incredible step forward to providing an even better educational experience. By bringing the two programs under one umbrella, we will see a greater sharing of expertise and best practices that will allow for a strengthening of both our civil engineering and construction engineering undergraduate degree offerings.”

Mark Hastak, the Dernlan Family Head of Construction Engineering and Management and Professor of Civil Engineering, will take on a new role as associate dean for facilities and planning in Purdue University in Indianapolis.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Lyle School of Civil Engineering’s Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke Graduate Program in Civil Engineering #7 in the nation, the civil engineering undergraduate program #4 in the nation and the Online Master’s Program #2 in the nation in its 2024 list.