For the fourth year in a row, John Brown University construction management students took first place at the American Institute of Contractors (AIC) Ethics Competition, a national construction ethics competition and conference hosted by the AIC. 

Team members Leo Castillo, Joshua Barnett, Noah Hubert, Brett Heidelberg and Cameron Crawford qualified for the event by submitting an initial response paper based on ethical issues tied back to a case study based on actual industry events. JBU was one of three teams selected to make their final presentation at the national competition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Other universities represented were Texas A&M and the University of Houston.

Teams were evaluated based on how well they understood the AIC Code of Ethics and how accurately they applied it to the case study.

“Winning this competition for the fourth year in a row represents the character and work ethic of JBU’s construction management students,” said David Ellingson, adjunct JBU instructor and team sponsor. “JBU’s emphasis on integrated faith in our teaching demands that we prepare our students to have a clear grasp on what ethical practice is and how to live it out in their industry.

In past competitions, JBU’s construction management team has won against the University of Florida, Arizona State University, Cal Poly and Weber State (Utah).

The AIC seeks to provide national leadership in establishing and maintaining high ethical standards in construction management. The competition measures college students’ abilities to apply the AIC Code of Ethics for Contractors to case studies that include illegal, unethical or unprofessional situations.

John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News Best Colleges, 2019), JBU enrolls more than 2,300 students from 36 states and 59 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 40 undergraduate majors, with top programs including engineering, nursing, family and human services, biology, graphic design and construction management. Sixteen graduate programs are available in the areas of business, counseling, cybersecurity, education and higher education.