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Bogus Halter named as chair of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering
July 18, 2024 - by Kim Delker
Susan Bogus Halter, a longtime professor in the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, has been selected as the chair of the department after a national search.
She has been serving as interim chair since 2023. She joined UNM in 2004 as an assistant professor after spending a decade in industry.
She has held the AGC (Associated General Contractors) Endowed Chair position since 2016. Bogus Halter also is the recipient of the 2020 Outstanding Educator Award from the National Association of Home Builders student chapter and was elected to the National Academy of Construction in 2021.
The southern Wisconsin native said that her interest in civil engineering began in high school, when she took an aptitude test that indicated she had the qualities to be an engineer.
“In my mind, I wanted to build roads and bridges,” she said.
She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then worked as an environmental engineer for CH2M Hill as a project manager and project engineer.
It was her love of school that led her back into academia, where she decided to return to school for her doctoral degree so she could be a professor. She earned a Ph.D. 2004 from University of Colorado, Boulder.
She joined UNM and has stayed here all of her academic career.
“I love the department and the culture. I love the mentoring and collaboration we have,” she said. “Things are happening and always changing.”
Her love for the department also is what helped her decide to want to lead the department.
“I see it as part of giving back to the department that has given me so much,” Bogus Halter said.
As chair, she plans to continue and grow the strong connection that the department has with industry, alumni and donors. The relationship with one alum and donor, Doug Campbell, led to the endowment of the department as the Gerald May Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, which provides Bogus Halter with extra resources to support and grow the department.
She is looking forward to working on a variety of projects, including recruitment of students and faculty, faculty mentoring, alignment with the School’s strategic plan as well as UNM 2040, growing the breadth of research, and continuing to raise funds.
Being in charge of a department is inherently challenging, but Bogus Halter is optimistic that by taking care of students, faculty and staff, the right things will happen.
“I don’t plan on doing anything different, and by doing that, we will continue to grow,” she said.
In her free time, she enjoys Lobo sports, Popejoy events, as well as traveling and spending time outdoors hiking, biking and skiing.