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History

Preston White, Virginia Tech President Tim Sands, Myers-Lawson School of Construction Preston and Catharine White Professor and Director Brian Kleiner, A. Ross Myers, John R. Lawson, Brett Hitt, George B. Clarke IV, and Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering Julie Ross stand in front of Hitt Hall.

Founding History of Our School

The Myers-Lawson School of Construction was created for the industry, by the industry. The co-founders are A. Ross Myers '72, CEO of Allan Myers, and John R. Lawson II '75, President and CEO of W.M. Jordan Company. The alumni and former Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity brothers came together in 2006 to provide an endowment to form the Myers-Lawson School of Construction (MLSoC) at Virginia Tech. In addition to their generous gifts, the university, the College of Engineering, and the former College of Architecture and Urban Studies provided matching support to make the school a reality. Dr. Yvan Beliveau, then Georgia Anne Snyder-Falkinham Professor and Building Construction Department Head along with Dr. Mike Vorster, then David Burrows Professor of Civil Engineering and Vecellio Construction Engineering and Management Program Coordinator served as faculty co-developers. Beliveau and Vorster were the inaugural school director and associate director, respectively.

In 2007, MLSoC moved into the then-newly built facility, Bishop-Favrao Hall. The building was named for Richard Bishop who made a lead gift for the facility and William Favrao, the Building Construction department head from its inception in 1947 until he passed in 1977.  

In 2011, Dr. Brian M. Kleiner was named the school director.

Ten years after the school’s conception in 2016, the school continued to see a dramatic increase in student enrollment and demand for these students from the industry. The MLSoC leadership team came together, thanks to a lead gift by Joan and Russell Hitt, to double the MLSoC footprint on campus with an additional building, Hitt Hall. The building opened in the fall of 2024, leading to increased visibility of the school, its programs, and research.