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America’s newest concrete industry management academic program is continuing to turn heads as a result of student achievement.

The latest feather in the cap for the program at South ��ֱ���� State University is a $10,000 scholarship won by sophomore concrete industry management major Kate Connor of Winfred. She was notified April 7 that she was the recipient of the Advancing Organizational Excellence Fellowship, which is awarded through the Concrete Industry Management trade association.

She is the fourth student in the program to win a national award this semester. Other recipients were:

• Jakob Burckhard, a sophomore from Brookings, CarbonCure scholarship, $2,000

• Peter Benson, a senior from Sioux Falls, Weatherton ��ֱ����, $2,500

• Grace Jensen, a sophomore from Glenwood, Minnesota, American Society of Concrete Contractors, $5,000.

Tim Hostettler, director of the concrete industry management program since its start at SDSU in fall 2021, said, “I attribute these successes to the students’ hard work and their belief in the program. They have seen firsthand the opportunities that are available to them, and they are taking the challenges head on and having wonderful success. I really could not be prouder of this whole group.   

“Between Kate’s accomplishment here and Pete winning out over the other universities at the Weatherton’s at World of Concrete (Jan. 21), our little program from our little state is gaining some serious recognition from the concrete industry at the national level. People are starting to stand up and take notice.”

Julian Kang, head of the Department of Construction and Concrete Industry Management, said, “the recent scholarship successes …  would not have been possible without the dedicated efforts of our CIM Program Director Tim Hostettler.

“Although our CIM program is still in its early stages—just three years old—Tim’s extensive network in the concrete industry, along with his firsthand experience as an educator during his time on the faculty at Cal State University, Chico, has played a pivotal role in shaping the program's growth and reputation here at South ��ֱ���� State University.

“Despite a challenging teaching load that would be demanding for even a well-established program, Tim’s passion for education and commitment to student success continue to inspire excellence. His leadership ensures that our students are not only well-prepared academically but also highly competitive on the national stage.”

Just five concrete programs in U.S.

SDSU is one of only five universities in the nation to offer a concrete industry management program. The others are California State University, Chico, where Hostettler taught part time while working in the industry; Middle Tennessee State, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Texas State.

The SDSU program was formed through the support of the Concrete Industry Management National Steering Committee and its North Central Region patrons. The groups will provide SDSU $1.5 million over five years to develop the degree program and assist in employing a program director, recruiter and laboratory manager.

The program had its first graduate in May 2024. In fall semester, there were 49 majors.

In addition to the $5,000-per-semester scholarship, Connor receives paid travel expenses and attendance fees to two American Concrete Industry conventions — the Oct. 26-29 gathering at the Hilton Baltimore & Marriott Baltimore Inner Harbor and the March 29-April 1, 2026, gathering at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Chicago.

In addition, the association will help Connor find an industry mentor. Her interest is to become a technical salesman for concrete add mixtures.

Connor first thought of civil engineering

Connor entered SDSU after being named a Distinguished Scholar at State, which gave her additional scholarship benefits. The Howard High School graduate had one A- in an otherwise straight-A career. At SDSU she holds a 4.0 GPA.

Her original plan was civil engineering, but “I decided I didn’t like math that much.” At a June 2023 campus visit, she doublebooked with construction management and concrete industry management appointments. Connor reported, “Tim Hostettler quickly said, ‘Come talk to me if you want to do business.’ Later, my mom brought CIM back up, and I thought why not try concrete industry management.”

There have been no regrets.

Connor said, “The CIM program is so overlooked. I began my academic career at the fall patrons meeting where I met our group of around 60 patrons. This group of industry professionals are fully invested in my success in and out of school and there is no better feeling than that!

“You're learning about such a huge necessary industry with only about 15 other students in your classes. Tim Hostettler is a one-of-a-kind professor. He has years of experience in the industry and has a network of people ready to come in and tell us about their experiences. There are so many opportunities academically and career wise, there is really nothing like CIM.”

Program ‘building next generation of … leaders’

Hostettler said the stereotype that the concrete program isn’t a program for high academic achievers is a false picture.

“This program is not simply about concrete, as the name might imply. It is about building the next generation of managers, leaders and owners in an industry that is indispensable as long as construction exists. Concrete is the most used material on earth, next to water. 

“The opportunities in this industry are incredible, and the highly intelligent students, male and female, who are made aware of the program’s existence pick up on that fact rather quickly once exposed to everything we have to offer,” said Hostettler, who was a senior sales representative in Rapid City before joining SDSU.

He said Connor is a great example.

‘Kate is not only top of her class, but she is also mature, motivated, outgoing, personable and always willing to help out wherever needed. Her application to the American Concrete Institute Foundation for the scholarship obviously fulfilled all of their stringent criteria, and it was good enough to beat out all of the students from the other four concrete industry management universities.”

To exchange concrete for culture this summer

In addition to pouring concrete on the family’s Winfred farm, Connor’s concrete experience includes a summer internship with the Canadian firm Vector Construction as a “corrosion repair technician” primarily demolishing construction and pouring concrete. 

“I spent most of my summer in Oglesby, Illinois, working on top of 125-foot silos, a little time in Menoken, North ��ֱ����, and ended on a bridge project in Binghamton, New York,” she said.

That will be close to home compared to where Connor spends summer 2025.

She will spend nine weeks in Florence, Italy, with not one cubic yard of concrete to pour. The summer breaks into three weeks each of cooking, Italian culture and interior design.