History

The Early Years 1877-1919

In 1877, First Lieutenant Edgar S. Dudley, a Professor of Military Science and Tactics received $400 from the University to create and teach a civil engineering program. Dudley was transferred in 1879 and his classes were assigned to other faculty members.

In 1881, Charles N. Little was appointed Tutor in Mathematics and Civil Engineering. Little received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1885 with a thesis, "On Knots, with a Census for Order Ten," a study of the ways in which cords might be lined. After completing his advanced studies, he was appointed as Associate Professor in charge of the Department of Civil Engineering. This event marked the official organization of the first engineering department.

In 1893, Oscar Van Pelt Stout became associate professor in charge of civil engineering. O.V.P. Stout was awarded the first professional Civil Engineer degree in 1897. He also served as the second Dean of Engineering from 1912 to 1919.

Student graduates of the early years were few in number. During the first decade only 11 civil engineering degrees were awarded and only another 23 during the second decade, but it was a beginning.

The Middle Years 1920-1944

During this twenty-five year era, Civil Engineering was headed by Professor C.E. Mickey, and Dean O.J. Ferguson directed the affairs of the Engineering College. The Civil Engineering Department was housed in the Mechanics-Arts Building at 11th and T Streets. This era saw the first woman graduate of Civil Engineering and the first from the College of Engineering. Meredith Thomas received her BS in 1929 and her MS in 1931.

The landmark projects of this era included the construction of Nebraska's new Capitol building, the 1930's Tri-County Irrigation project, and the development of a statewide system of all-weather highways with bridges to carry the ever-increasing traffic and heavier loads of a modern trucking industry.

During this era 538 BSCE degrees and 9 MS degrees were awarded. Eighteen students received the professional degree of Civil Engineer.

The Later Years 1945-Present

From 1945 to 1969 was the era of change for civil engineering. Dean Roy Green served during the first years of this major transition from the early years of civil engineering to the present program. It was Green who introduced a required senior course, Engineering 100, as a tool to instill professional goals in the curriculum. Also during this era, Chi Epsilon, a Civil Engineering Honor Society, awarded a charter to the University of Nebraska chapter on May 13, 1961.