Investing in student success
When ms consultants’ President and CEO discovered an opportunity to help young engineers gain the real-world experience needed to succeed in industry, he didn’t hesitate to get involved.
Working on capstone projects, Tom Mosure explained, can help students learn how to engineer creative solutions. That’s why he and ms consultants—the family-owned, multidiscipline engineering, architecture and planning firm he leads—established the Mosure Family / ms consultants Civil Engineering Support Fund.
The generous gift enhances Ohio State’s Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering (CEGE) Capstone Program, which enables students to complete a real civil engineering design project before graduation.
“ms consultants and I believe that there is nothing more important to individuals’ career preparation than developing innovation, problem-solving and team-building skills as early as possible,” he said. “The capstone program covers all of these aspects in an accessible way for students.”
The fund provides annual support toward the cost of hiring eight lecturers who are experts in areas such as traffic engineering, structures and geotechnical engineering. These industry professionals attend weekly classes and help teach the approximately 170 students enrolled in the senior capstone course each year how to tackle real-world civil engineering problems.
“This generous support has provided us with the opportunity to effectively bring industry into the classroom,” said Associate Professor of Practice Michael Hagenberger, who co-leads the department’s capstone program. “The practice students get in posing questions, presenting ideas and working with professionals prepares them for the next step in their career journey. It’s a novel approach to the professional development of our students.”
Students aren’t the only beneficiaries. Companies and non-profit organizations that sponsor capstone projects gain value-added solutions to problems, while also interacting closely with students who could become future employees.
“For companies, it provides a vehicle to get their employees involved in career development and leadership skills,” Mosure added. “It also provides a training ground for future employees of the companies and the engineering industry.”
Though not an Ohio State alum, Mosure is a passionate Buckeye. His involvement with the university began at an early age through attending football games and other sporting events, and blossomed into his current role as an employer of graduates and active member of the CEGE department’s campaign committee.
With a workforce of almost 400, ms consultants’ employs 42 engineers, architects, marketing and business graduates from Ohio State. That’s a trend that’s likely to continue.
“Our partnership with Ohio State is a partnership for the future, continuing the growth and prosperity of the engineering industry and the central Ohio community,” Mosure explained.
This story was originally published in Forward, the College of Engineering's giving impact report. Read more giving stories and the full report online.
