New faculty help advance CWU Construction Management’s record of success

Central Washington University’s Construction Management program boasts a high job placement rate and a well-earned reputation for success among industry partners.

Program graduates can be found working for top companies across the Northwest, including Granite Construction, Fisher Construction Group, KLB Construction Lydig Construction, Goodfellow Brothers, Sellen Construction, Active Construction Inc., and more, thanks to the broad network of industry connections maintained by faculty and alumni alike.

“Our students all get internships, and we see a near-100% job placement rate after graduation,” said Construction Management Professor Warren Plugge, who has overseen the program for nearly 20 years. “We attract well over 100 employers to our career fair every single year, and for a smaller school like us, that’s a big deal.”

Since 2024, the program has welcomed two new faculty members, Assistant Professor Yiye Xu and Assistant Professor Arnaldo Bayona, who have been charged with helping their students find professional connections and opportunities. Plugge has admired their growth since their arrival at CWU, and he looks forward to seeing continued progress during the 2026-27 academic year.

“I’m really excited to be entering the new school year with two new faculty members who have just hit the ground running over the last two years and have really involved themselves in what we teach and how we teach it,” he said. “We have a full cohort of 47 new students, all of whom I’m eager to see graduate in 2028.”

Xu joined the faculty in September 2024, following a job search that spanned the entire West Coast. She immediately felt a connection to CWU Construction Management because of the program’s stellar reputation.

“I was impressed by the program’s close connections with industry and the strong student employment outcomes I learned about during the hiring process,” she said. “Those gave me confidence in the quality of the program and made me excited to be part of it.”

Growing up in China, Xu found herself fascinated by the country’s rich architectural history. She chose to pursue an undergraduate degree in Construction Management and entered a rapidly growing market.

In her graduate research at Oregon State University, while pursuing her PhD in Construction Safety Management, Xu specialized in the advanced technologies shaping the industry, a focus she endeavors to pass on to her students.

“My research shapes my teaching,” she said. “I want students to understand how technology is changing the industry and how to use it effectively. Because construction involves complex processes and decisions, I’m also exploring how to integrate AI into construction education, so students learn to use it thoughtfully, evaluate its outputs, and strengthen their own critical thinking rather than rely on it for answers.”

Like Xu, Bayona was drawn to CWU’s reputation for student engagement and industry connections when he joined the faculty in September 2025.

“I cannot overemphasize the uniqueness of this program and the academic and professional opportunities available here,” Bayona said. “Construction management students have a unique space here, and me and my colleagues put in a lot of effort to make sure the learning experience is the best it can be.”

Initially receiving his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral in Ecuador, he plied his trade in a variety of positions there before coming to the U.S. to pursue a Master’s degree in Construction Engineering and Management, followed by his PhD in Civil Engineering with a specialty in Construction Engineering and Management.

Bayona’s own love of construction as a field of academic study comes from his passion for complex problem-solving, and his many positive experiences in pursuit of his PhD at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He emphasizes keeping his curriculum current and in alignment with the constantly shifting best practices in an industry spurred by relentless technological innovation.

“In construction, we’re always looking at the latest technology, like automation and robotics, to help us do our jobs in a safer way,” he said. “My long-term goal is to provide research output that is usable in the classroom to help students develop the skills they’ll need to stay competitive in a constantly changing field.”

Plugge noted that this shared desire to keep the curriculum fresh is also supported by the program’s deeply engaged Construction Management Industry Advisory Council (CMIAC), a group of construction professionals who are dedicated to ensuring CWU students graduate with the skills they need to succeed.

“Throughout all the changes and adjustments, we’ve been making, our CMIAC has been a rock to lean on and steer us right,” he said. “construction management as a whole in education and industry ebb and flow, so we have to as well with new industry innovations.”

Darryl Fuhrman, senior lecturer in the Construction Management Program and a key component of setting the new faculty members up for success, expressed strong optimism for the program's future.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with Professors Xu and Bayona,” he said. "By sharing my years of industry experience to help build course content, streamline the curriculum, and partner on various projects, we are strengthening the program and ultimately delivering a better educational experience for our students."

With the year ahead coming into sharper focus now that the fall quarter is underway, faculty are eager to work together to help the program achieve its highest potential.

“I’m really excited to be starting this year with just a bit more experience than I had during my first year teaching here,” Bayona said. “I’m getting to know my students and my colleagues, and I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.”

Xu is particularly excited for the Construction Management Reno competition held in Sparks, Nevada, in February, as she’s taking on a bigger role by coaching the teams this year.

“One thing I’m especially excited about this year is coaching CWU’s Mixed-Use Team for the Reno Competition,” she said. “Over the past two years, I traveled with the teams to learn about the competition and experience the process. Taking on a coaching role this year is an exciting next step, and I’m looking forward to helping our students represent CWU well.”

As the CWU Construction Management program advances its primary mission of preparing students for their futures in an ever-advancing field, Plugge sees many reasons to be optimistic about what’s to come in the months and years ahead.

“The hard work that our CMIAC puts in advocating for these two faculty positions has been paramount to the continued success of our program,” he said. “We also have an endowed professorship, which we’re hoping to see reach a million dollars by the end of the year. There are many reasons to be excited about our future.”