CTRE in transition
By Lowell Greimann, Interim Director
Lowell Greimann
CTRE Interim Director
As an article elsewhere in CTRE en route describes, Steve Andrle has resigned as director of CTRE. As the record indicates, the growth at CTRE during Steve’s tenure has been phenomenal.
Personally, Steve and I developed a trusting business and personal relationship over the past six and a half years—he as director of CTRE and I as chair of Iowa State’s Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering (CCEE). I very much enjoyed this relationship. It was fun for me to watch Steve operate in the interesting environment at CTRE with a diverse array of professionals, ranging from people with many years of experience in the transportation arena to young faculty members who have just recently received their Ph.D.
A committee has been formed to lead the search for a new director. It is being chaired by Dr. Mark Kushner, Dean of the College of Engineering at Iowa State. Advertisements soliciting applications have been placed in key national journals and publications. Search committee members and others are encouraging qualified people from around the nation to apply. The closing date for applications is September 1 or until the position is filled.
CTRE has several selling points for people who may be considering the director position, but the most salient are these:
- Mostly, of course, it is the people within CTRE. They know that working together as a team is most productive and they know how to provide a service to our customers, an obvious key to our successful growth.
- The special relationship between CTRE; the Iowa Department of Transportation; Iowa State University, especially CCEE; and the transportation industry, e.g., contractors and industrial partners like the Iowa Concrete Paving Association is quite unique. I have not seen anything like this vibrant partnership anywhere else.
For this and other reasons, I am really enjoying my experience here.