HELP WINNERS

The Homebuilding Education Leadership Program (HELP), launched in 2006, establishes closer relationships with institutions of higher education by awarding major seed grants to leading two- and four-year colleges and universities around the country to help them create, expand or enhance existing residential construction management programs. HELP’s key goal is to increase the number of qualified college graduates entering the residential construction profession and becoming future members of NAHB. To date, we have developed strong partnerships with 44 colleges and universities across the country, and committed over $5.1 million in grants.

2023

Ball State University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Development of two new residential construction courses
• Work with high school students to pursue their education in construction management with a focus on residential construction
• Enhance student chapter activities and building relationships with state and local HBAs
• Involve students in applied research in residential design and construction.

Dunwoody College of Technology
Grant Award: $100,000

• Focus on emerging issues in residential construction in the following areas:
• Curriculum development
• Faculty training
• Increasing Construction Career Pipeline- engaging youth in underrepresented communities to enter construction programs.
• Travel study — create opportunities for students to experience a technically focused study experience abroad.

University of Denver
Grant Award: $100,000

• Partner with industry and academia to create a Talent Training and Development Ecosystem to develop the homebuilding curriculum of the 21st century.
• Work through partnerships with industry and academia to discover, gather, and revise the best-in-class training materials, resources, and delivery methods.
• Hire grad students committed to the housing industry and work alongside the industry and academic partners.

2022

Middle Tennessee State University
Grant Award: $49,500

• Create new classes for students studying land development and residential construction
• Collaborate with 2-year colleges throughout the region for students to continue their education to receive their bachelor’s degree at MTSU
• Develop relationships with local builders to increase onsite opportunities and job placement for students

University of Cincinnati
Grant Award: $86,500

• Create a Faculty CO-OP program for full-time CM instructors
• Develop new courses focused on residential building and civil site design
• Create an interdisciplinary residential construction certificate that will serve as a well-defined pathway for any student who wants to pursue a career in the residential construction industry

University of Massachusetts — Amherst
Grant Award: $100,000

• Create a faculty professional development program to connect instructors with builder members affiliated with the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Western Massachusetts
• Hire adjunct faculty to teach additional residential construction management courses
• Partner with local community colleges to increase the number of qualified graduates entering the residential construction industry

2021

Missoula College of the University of Montana
Grant Award: $60,000

• Develop robust online content for our entry level coursework
• Increase enrollment through online curriculum
• Build partnerships with 2-year schools throughout the state to offer a fully accredited degree program
• Rename CAS in "Construction Supervision" to align more with the program content, rigor, and program outcomes
• Provide a more rounded training in construction estimating, scheduling, and management

North Carolina A&T
Grant Award: $75,000

• Increase residential construction component in CM courses to include the construction documents, light construction and codes, construction estimating, and senior seminar courses
• Strengthen collaboration between NCAT and True Homes, USA
• Increase number of CM students who participate in NAHB student chapters
• Conduct education related research and share best practices through active dissemination strategies such as publications and presentations

Tuskegee University
Grant Award: $60,000

• Creation of residential concentration/minor with the development of three new courses — Residential Sustainability, Residential Building (course and lab), and Emerging Trends in Residential Construction
• Build relationships with Greater Montgomery HBA and local builders
• Addition of residential learning modules in Construction Management Technology laboratory to include hands on training with materials and methods currently in use in the residential industry

University of Wyoming
Grant Award: $60,000

• Integrate residential construction focus (4 courses) as part of the degree program requirement for all students
• Collaborate with local 2-year colleges to create articulation agreement for students to continue education at UW
• Provide residential construction training in the areas of safety, evolving technologies, estimating and scheduling that will increase productivity in the residential sector in Wyoming and beyond
• Increased number of qualified, residential focused instructors

2020

Kirkwood Community College
Grant Award: $100,000

• Improve the quality of our current Construction Management credit program through the development of online curriculum
• Create customized curriculum for a portion of the Registered Construction Technologist apprenticeship program
• Develop and implement curriculum for the ACE portal (www.explore-ace.org)

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Grant Award: $100,000

• Create Certification Program in Residential Construction Management (RCM)
• Increase enrollment and student recruitment through SNHBA & UNLV Construction Career Day
• Create Student Chapter / Travel to IBS

2019

Clemson University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Increase opportunities for students to have formal exposure to residential construction management within the CSM Curriculum
• Increase the number of quality students entering the home building industry upon graduation
• Encourage relationships and interactions between NAHB Student Chapter and Home Builders – increase career fair/networking event participation
• Increase applied Research, Outreach, and Continued Education – PhD program initiatives

University of Oklahoma
Grant Award: $95,600

• Certificate in “Entrepreneurship & Development” – open to all majors
• Education & Experience in homebuilding
• Housing Economic Projects
• Recruiting & Retention of more students within Residential Construction Program

California Polytechnic University – San Luis Obispo
Grant Award: $100,000

• Third HELP grant awarded
• Development of a faculty internship program to maintain currency of profession and mentor students in residential field
• Strengthening partnership with high schools to promote skilled trades career path
• Advancing women in the home building industry to increase diversity in home building industry

2018

Arizona State University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Hire a Professor of Practice to develop content
• Create additional curricula to expand residential program
• Connect with industry leaders to enhance educational experiences through guest lecturers and job site visits
• Better engage in NAHB Student Chapter club activities that enhance student interest in residential construction

Michigan State University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Activities to help increase residential construction employers’ attendance and recruitment at CM career fairs
• Development of a residential construction recruitment video
• PWB/NAWIC joint workshops to attract female recruitment and empowerment in our residential program and student travel fellowships
• Green residential construction course fees
• Continue NAHB licensed courses, curriculum improvements, and close engagement with the HELP advisory board

North Carolina A&T
Grant Award: $100,000

• Increase the number of residential construction majors at each institution by 10%
• Development of “2 on 2 Residential Construction Management Curriculum”
• Increase the number of residential construction management faculty at each institution by one during the two years
• Implement “2 on 2 Residential Construction Management Curriculum” at each institution
• Develop a fifteen-member residential construction management advisory committee from local home builders’ associations

Pennsylvania College of Technology
Grant Award: $73,838

• Increase the number of faculty with industry credentials
• Revise curriculum and instructional materials to embed certifications or prepare them to earn the credential if work experience is needed prior to credentialing
• Expand outreach to secondary schools that will involve site visits designed to provide information regarding career pathways in the construction industry

Purdue University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Develop “Purdue University Construction Channel – Residential”
• Minimum of 50 English/Spanish videos highlighting stages of residential projects
• Videos highlighting NAHB Student Chapter members at IBS, Student Competitions, service projects and interviews after completing internships with residential builders
• Development of sustainable advertising funds through views of the channel
• Development of a format to allow other HELP Grant schools to add content highlighting regional residential construction techniques
• Document and publish research derived from use of the channel in teaching

2017

Kennesaw State University
Grant Award: $60,000

• Development of New Residential courses over the next 3 years – Emerging Trends & Sustainability, NAHB Certified Green Professional (CGP), Survey and Builder Involvement Throughout
• Create Residential Learning Modules & Labs
• Establish Student Scholarship, Involvement & Outreach through increased NAHB Student Chapter activities, Community Service Projects, Competitions and Networking

Tarrant County College South
Grant Award: $75,000

• Strengthen the Certificate in Construction Business Entrepreneur and AAS degree program to focus on the home building industry through incorporation of the Residential Gold Standard Curriculum
• Hire two adjunct faculty who have qualifications and experience in the home building industry
• Support two CMT Faculty Members and two students to become NAHB Certified Green Professionals
• Conduct a monthly seminar series related to home building industry
• Establish a student mentoring and/or internship program with the Greater Ft. Worth Builders Association and other local home builders

University of Denver
Grant Award: $100,000

• Create a home building lab for hands-on learning experiences for construction management students, and all interested in residential construction education, by partnering with local homebuilding industry partners
• Leverage the HELP funds through cost sharing with Cengage Learning, Oakwood Homes, Colorado Construction Institute and other local/regional builders

2016

Dunwoody College of Technology
Grant Award: $60,000

• Enhance and expand RCM program over the next five years
• Increase the number of graduates who are interested in and qualified to enter the residential construction profession
• CAPS & CGP certification of faculty and students; marketing and recruiting; and periodic seminars for students, faculty and external audiences
• Integration of the residential construction curriculum adapted from East Carolina University into existing coursework and teach and advise NAHB Student Chapter, trades and 2+2 schools

University of North Florida
Grant Award: $100,000

• Re-build and strengthen our dedicated residential construction track
• Train and certify existing and new faculty on recognized “Best Practices” NAHB residential training programs (Housing & Land Development I & II)
• Continue our strong relationship with the Northeast Florida Builders Association - NEFBA
• Promote NAHB Student Competition among students to increase participation
• Establish the program as a high-quality academic pipeline delivering well-qualified skilled graduates into the residential industry employment base in greater Jacksonville and nationally

2015

California State University, Fresno
Grant Award: $100,000

• Establish a residential curriculum as part of the Construction Management Program education in the College of Engineering
• Develop a cluster of residential construction electives
• Create lower-division courses in residential construction for community college and high school students
• Increase opportunities for community college students to transfer into the residential construction management program

Texas A&M University
Grant Award: $99,943

• Double the offerings of the residential capstone course at Texas A&M
• Create a graduate-level residential construction course
• Develop a “core curriculum” course in housing for students of any major

University of Oklahoma
Grant Award: $27,054

• Introduce residential construction concepts to students in the OU summer program
• Create a university-level general education course in housing issues
• Create opportunities for the OU Construction Science department to increase residential construction knowledge through enhanced relationships with the local residential construction community and HBA

2014

South Dakota State University
Grant Award: $97,411

• Develop a senior seminar course focused on a residential construction project
• Establish a residential construction internship program for construction management students
• A faculty member will become an NAHB Certified Green Professional, and then implement the course on campus.
• Create an advisory committee focused on the progress of the HELP grant

State University of New York at Delhi
Grant Award: $100,000

• Develop a residential construction management concentration within the existing Construction Management bachelor’s degree
• Improve and expand industry partnerships
• Expand articulation agreements with other universities, allowing students to transfer into the residential construction management program
• Increase participation of NAHB Student Chapter

University of Nebraska – Kearney
Grant Award: $64,000

• Second HELP grant awarded
• Establish and maintain a license agreement between the university and NAHB Education to teach NAHB professional designations, specifically the Certified Green Professional (CGP)
• Fund faculty travel to NAHB Education events and board meetings for the development and training to become CGP Instructor Certified and Master CGP Instructor Certified, and to maintain their instructor status through continuing education as required by NAHB Education
• Fund the redevelopment and implementation of the CGP curriculum from a three-day industry course into a 16-week university course
• Fund the course fees and NAHB graduation fees for 182 university students to earn their CGP designations

2013

California Polytechnic University – San Luis Obispo
Grant Award: $50,000

• Second HELP grant awarded
• Create a purpose-driven admissions, recruitment and enrollment effort to increase the number of students interested in construction management and the home building industry
• Incorporate the CGP designation course into Cal Poly’s curriculum

East Carolina University
Grant Award: $93,638

• Second HELP grant awarded
• Develop of an online residential coursework for a graduate certificate and specialization in the Master of Construction Management (MCM) program
• Augment current residential course topics with: U.S. Residential History, Residential Land Development, Residential Sustainability (design, code, energy, materials, environment, and innovation), Residential Estimating/Scheduling, Legal Issues of Residential Construction, and Residential Project Management & Risk Management

Michigan State University
Grant Award: $99,487

• Support existing faculty to strengthen the residential focus of current courses and to hire an adjunct faculty with a residential construction focus
• Start a Housing Education & Research Center Fellowship Program to keep students interested and engaged in residential construction aspect at MSU, incorporating hands-on labs and applied research
• Implement the Residential Gold Standard Curriculum developed at East Carolina University, to improve existing course offerings

University of Florida
Grant Award: $98,000

• Create and enhance the current curriculum offering by including NAHB designations and a basic building course
• Increase exposure and recognition of its residential construction program to pre-collegiate, collegiate, and transfer students into the Rinker program
• Increase interaction with and create strong ties with local builders throughout the state of Florida, thereby generating greater community connection

University of Washington
Grant Award: $45,000

• Create more interest in residential construction program at the university and build greater opportunities for students to graduate and start careers in the residential construction industry
• Hire two part-time lecturers during the start-up of a residential construction management track

2012

Georgia Institute of Technology
Grant Award: $99,535

• First school to receive a second HELP grant
• Provide training opportunities for faculty through NAHB certification programs
• Enhance curriculum to prepare students for NAHB certifications
• Provide support to graduate students to research local industry needs as well as NAHB certification topic areas

Louisiana State University
Grant Award: $99,236

• Enhance courses to include NAHB designation content in new Residential Track
• Sponsor college seniors to take the Builder Assessment Review (BAR) exam
• Create a formal Residential Mentoring Program with the Capital Region Home Builders Association
• Establish a Residential Industry Advisory Board

2011

Pittsburgh State University
Grant Award: $95,000

• Enhance their emphasis in residential construction
• Consolidate courses and modify curriculum to include NAHB designation training
• Create a more comprehensive curriculum
• Provide students with a competitive advantage in a tough job market

Pennsylvania State University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Match a grant awarded by Lutron Electronics to hire an industry practitioner to teach
• Start an endowment that would fund an industry practitioner to teach a residential construction class
• Additional course will help create a Residential Construction minor

2010

University of Nebraska – Kearney
Grant Award: $75,000

• Negotiate transfer agreements with community colleges for students who want to earn a four-year degree in construction management
• Host a Construction Careers Showcase (250 potential students came to learn about career opportunities in residential construction)
• Hold two Green/Sustainable Construction seminars and add a new green building course to curriculum

Western Carolina University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Create and deliver a Land Development minor with an emphasis on the legal, political, environmental and financial aspects of land development
• Offer an online master's degree and certificate program in Land Development
• Award a partial scholarship for students earning the Land Development minor

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College and Northern Kentucky University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Create a “Pipeline” from Associates Degree at Cincinnati State towards a career in residential construction management with a BS from Northern Kentucky University
• Continue program that teaches college-level construction classes to students at local high schools

University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Grant Award: $75,000

• Increase recruitment of women and minorities
• Create a residential construction concentration
• Improve master's program to fill the need of qualified teachers at the collegiate level

2009

Colorado State University
Grant Award: $38,433

• Offer incentive packages to hire two new faculty with expertise and experience in residential construction
• Add residential content to its already strong — but commercially focused — construction management program

North Dakota State University
Grant Award: $50,000

• Develop a cognitive apprenticeship program that will combine on the job experience with classroom learning to give construction management students hands-on experience that will enhance their classroom instruction
• Create a network of mentors to host apprentices

Texas A&M University and Prairie View A&M University
Grant Award: $100,000

• These schools will partner to achieve the following goals:
• Enhance interest in residential construction management among minority and female students
• Strengthen Prairie View’s residential construction management program and NAHB’s competition team
• Have a joint Texas A&M/Prairie View A&M competition team at IBS
• Create a model that can be replicated: One school with a strong Residential Construction program mentoring another school to strengthen and grow its program

Purdue University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Incorporate NAHB classes and certification into its Construction Management program. Students will graduate with three NAHB certifications: CGP, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, and Residential Construction Superintendent
• Serve as a model program and mentor other schools interested in incorporating NAHB University of Housing programs into its curriculum

2008

John A. Logan College
Grant Award: $100,000

• Establish NAHB Student Chapter and send team to Residential Construction Competitions at IBS 2009
• Establish Advisory Board and invite local NAHB members to be board members
• Teach Residential Construction Academy classes, use textbooks and other aids provided by HBI
• Provide facilities for NAHB University of Housing classes — use BAR as outcomes assessment for students

Middle Tennessee State University
Grant Award: $100,000

• Has a dedicated Residential Land Development curriculum, only school in nation to have this unique program
• Use funds to support additional faculty. University has committed to pay for new faculty after grant expires
• Leveraged funds to maximum; Total impact of grant is over $350,000 for the program. Industry partners will participate in matching funds

Jefferson State Community College
Grant Award: $100,000

• Leverage matching funds to $334,000 impact, great administrative support
• Participate in IBS activities; students to compete in Residential Construction Competition
• Upgrade and enhance current facilities and equipment
• Host Summer Construction Technology Camps; invite high school students to learn about home building careers

California Polytechnic University – San Luis Obispo
Grant Award: $100,000

• Use funds to develop former industry person into a Ph.D. professor (Former Centex manager on track for tenure)
• Develop a Residential Integrated Curriculum
• Conduct the “Residential Constructors Education Academy,” Endowment to be recognized as primary sponsor
• Provide equipment for classrooms in its new building — New Pulte lab and Simpson Strong-Tie rooms dedicated to residential instruction

2007

East Carolina University
Grant Award: $120,000

• Develop Building Communities webcast series
• Establish a new specialization track on Residential Construction Management
• Develop “Golden Standard” for Residential Construction curriculum creation for other schools to use as a model

Georgia Institute of Technology
Grant Award: $50,000

• Create a graduate-level program
• Recruit local builders for Advisory Board
• Increase student involvement with local and state HBA

University of Maryland – Eastern Shore
Grant Award: $100,000

• First historically black university to receive grant funds and establish residential track and curriculum
• Create marketing materials to increase recruitment efforts