JBU students place first in ethics competition

For the fifth 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.

This year, the event was held in a virtual competition on March 23, and JBU defeated other finalist teams from Texas A&M and University of North Florida.

JBU’s team presented on various ethical and industry concerns to a panel of industry leaders from around the country. These ethical issues tied back to a given case study that was based on actual industry events.

“To be the sole champions of the AIC’s Ethics Competition is a significant representation of the character of JBU’s construction management students,” said David Ellingson, adjunct JBU instructor and team sponsor. “Because construction managers lead and direct all aspects of a construction project, it is vital that future professionals have a clear grasp on what ethical practice is.”

The competition was open to all accredited schools of construction management in the United States. The JBU team qualified for the event by submitting an initial response paper and then competed against two teams in the final presentation.

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.