Oregon Institute of Technology is proud to announce that civil engineering faculty member Charles “C.J.” Riley, Ph.D., PE was recently awarded the 2012 American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) ExCEEd New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award. Riley, an assistant professor in the Oregon Tech Civil Engineering Department at the Klamath Falls campus, was selected for the award from a large pool of highly talented candidates.
The award was established by ASCE's Project ExCEEd (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) and the ASCE Committee on Faculty Development to recognize and reward outstanding new faculty who have taught full-time for five years or less. Riley will receive the award during the Civil Engineering Division Banquet on June 12, 2012 at the ASEE Annual Conference in San Antonio, Tex.
Representatives from ASCE commented that they were particularly impressed with Riley’s outstanding teaching record as a new faculty member, his contributions to the academic and surrounding community, and his proven commitment to education.
Sean St. Clair, Ph.D., PE, Chair of the Civil Engineering Department, commented, “Dr. Riley loves civil engineering and he loves to ignite a similar devotion and passion in his students. He is an essential member of the Civil Engineering Department at Oregon Tech and he would be impossible to replace. His passion is infectious and his enthusiasm inspiring.”
Riley chose to work at Oregon Tech because he wanted to teach at an institution that values excellent instruction where he could dedicate his time to mentoring future civil engineers. St. Clair commented, “Dr. Riley strives to ensure that every student succeeds and if he has a decision to make, he always considers the effects on the students. He challenges his students, asks them to open their minds to new ideas and concepts.”
Civil Engineering student and President of the ASCE Student Chapter, Matt Nicholson, experienced Riley’s instruction first-hand. “In the classroom, Dr. Riley’s approach to conveying lecture material is both methodical and linear. In the lab, he has an ability to apply the principles learned in lecture to a lab situation that further illustrates the theory driving the engineering design. He often uses the observation of structures and the built environment as teachable moments in which he is able to extend the classroom into the real-world, enriching the quality of my education.”
Riley joined the civil engineering faculty at Oregon Tech in 2008. He is a licensed professional engineer in Oregon. He earned his master’s degree and his doctorate in civil engineering from Colorado State University and earned a bachelor’s of science degree in engineering from Swarthmore College in Penn.
“This is a wonderful and humbling honor. I think it confirms some suspicions I’ve had: that I am very lucky to work with the outstanding colleagues in my department who support me, that we have a culture of excellence in the classroom here, and that our students get real value out of their education at Oregon Tech. I hope I can continue to perform in the classroom in a way that my students, my colleagues, and my peers in the civil engineering education field consider excellent,” commented Riley.
About Oregon Tech
Founded in Klamath Falls in 1947, Oregon Institute of Technology is one of seven institutions in the Oregon University System, and the only public institute of technology in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon Tech provides degree programs in engineering and health technologies, management, communications and applied sciences that prepare students to be effective participants in their professional, public and international communities through hands-on learning. Oregon Tech’s main campus is in Klamath Falls; other sites are located in Portland, Salem, La Grande and Seattle. Oregon Tech will consolidate its campuses in the Portland area to a larger facility in Wilsonville in Fall 2012. Visit www.oit.edu to learn more about Oregon Institute of Technology.
