Dr. Phil Lewis selected for SEC Academic Leadership Development Program
Dr. Phil Lewis, who serves as interim head of the Department of Construction Science, has been selected as a Southeastern Conference (SEC) Academic Leadership Development Program fellow.
He joins Dr. Tamika Gilreath, from the School of Public Health; Dr. Simon North, from the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Ramesh Vemulapalli, of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences as the 2024-2025 cohort.
Each year the SEC offers a small class of emerging and talented faculty leaders from each participating university a unique opportunity to foster their talents for academic administration in a fellowship program. Previous program alumni have advanced to serve Texas A&M as deans, vice provosts and in other senior administrator roles.
Lewis was put forward for the program by College of Architecture Interim Dean Dr. Patrick Suermann, who served as Department Head in Construction Science prior to Lewis’ appointment and referred to the new fellow as “a serious student of leadership.”
“Dr. Lewis exhibits excellent potential to lead at, and beyond, the department head level,” said Suermann in his nomination letter. “He understands the complexities and challenges of academic leadership. He has high emotional intelligence and desires to work with people to solve problems.”
Prior to taking leadership of the construction science department in January of 2022, Lewis was associate department head and graduate program coordinator.
His successes include leading the development of the department’s new Doctor of Philosophy in Construction Science, making it one of the few programs of its kind in the country. He also transformed the Master of Science in Construction Management program, by converting it into a STEM-designated program and increased enrollment from about 20 students to over 100 students.
Lewis collaborated with the Texas A&M administration to create the new Master of Science in Construction Management online program. This program admitted its first cohort of 33 students in the fall of 2023 and is expected to have approximately 80 students by the fall of 2024.
The department is currently the largest construction education and research program in the United States, containing approximately 1,500 students and 65 faculty and staff. Additionally, it offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in construction science and management.
Lewis is currently working with Texas A&M leadership on a growth plan for the Department of Construction Science. This plan aims to reach 2,000 students and 100 faculty and staff by 2028.
As part of the program, Lewis will participate in a university-level development program over the next year and attend two SEC-wide multi-day workshops alongside the rest of the academic leaders in his fellow’s cohort.
