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Mobile District commander reignites relationships with local universities

USACE Mobile
Published Aug. 30, 2017
Mobile District Commander Col. James DeLapp speaks to ROTC cadets during a recent visit to the Auburn University campus. DeLapp visited three Alabama universities last week to reignite relationships with both faculty members and students.

Mobile District Commander Col. James DeLapp speaks to ROTC cadets during a recent visit to the Auburn University campus. DeLapp visited three Alabama universities last week to reignite relationships with both faculty members and students.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Commander Col. James DeLapp visited three Alabama universities last week to reignite relationships with faculty members and students. DeLapp met with, among others, the department heads of the University of Alabama, Auburn University and Tuskegee University.

“The intent was to reestablish further developmental relationships between the Corps of Engineers…  and these universities,” said DeLapp. “I highlighted engineering and construction programs.”

The university department heads DeLapp met with were Kenneth Fridley, senior associate dean, Alabama; Steven Taylor, associate dean for research, Auburn; and Heshmat Aglan, dean, Tuskegee.

DeLapp said, in the future, the district wants to send engineers to the schools to talk to students, recruiting future interns as well as future civilian hires. Doug Otto, chief, Engineering Division, will head the district’s efforts to partner with the schools.

DeLapp also met with the professor of military science from the ROTC program at each school, extending them an opportunity for the district’s military personnel to talk to cadets.

“Our intent is to establish a relationship with them so that they select (the) Engineering branch as the branch in which they will serve during their Army careers,” he said. “A lot of engineers don’t select the engineering branch because they want to go do all of that 'hooah' stuff like go airborne or air assault. But they can still do those things and be engineers. We, as engineers in the Mobile District, want to be a resource for those folks to get them information and answer their questions.”

The Professors of Military Science DeLapp met with included Lt. Col. Antwan Brown, Alabama; Lt. Col. Roshun Steele, Auburn; and Lt. Col. Rusty Rhoads, Tuskegee.

In addition to the university department heads and Professors of Military Science, DeLapp met with his former Texas A&M University graduate school professor Dr. Richard Burt, now head of Auburn’s Architecture, Design and Construction department, as well as former Mobile District South Alabama Area Engineer Allan Bugg, now the head of Auburn’s construction school.