OSU-OKC offers Oklahoma's first degree in "green" construction

September 11, 2010
By Richard Mize, The Oklahoman

The first "green" sheepskin in Oklahoma is being offered now by Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City.

OSU-Oklahoma City started the associate of applied science degree in renewable and sustainable energy this semester with five students, said Terry Clinefelter, instructor of constructions.

Not bad, he said, for a program that the university couldn't promote until this summer after it was approved. A certificate also is offered.

Need for green

Clinefelter said the degree answers the "green" construction movement's demand for accredited instruction and the industry's need for a source of qualified workers. Those attracted to the program, he said, include contractors and subcontractors already in the business, people looking to change careers, as well as traditional freshmen right out of high school.

In addition to general education requirements such as English composition, American history and government, the program offers classes in blueprint reading and drafting, mechanical equipment of buildings, elements of electricity and electronics and several particularly green classes:

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design standards and construction, green building systems and sustainable construction, renewable energy applications, residential wind design and applications, solar design and applications, geothermal design and applications, residential energy audits and building energy audits.

Industry input

The university developed the degree program and could tweak it with input from an industry advisory committee made up of Jack Werner, Ph.D, of A to Z Inspections; Kelly Parker of Guaranteed Watt Saver Systems Inc.; Kelly Coffman of C.H. Guernsey & Co.; Autumn Radle of the Oklahoma City Planning Department; Bob Willis of Sunrise Alternative Energy; Andreia Huff of Green Wind and Solar; Temur Akhmedov of Green Building & Renewable Energy Consulting; Scott Oglesby of Zoetic Design.

Degree advisory committees at OSU-Oklahoma City keep academic programs tied to the industries they aim to serve, said Michael Eckart, head of the science and engineering division, which handled the associate degree program.

"They're just so important. They're the people who do the hiring," Eckart said.

Building a 'system'

Clinefelter said the main thrust of the program is to consider all the elements of green construction processes at once and translate that view to buildings themselves — to get students to see the "all these different parts as a whole, to look at a building as a system and not just a collection of parts."

The concept of "the building as a system" will grow in importance as the nation's energy needs increase, said Parker, president of Guaranteed Watt Saver.

Builders of more than 100 construction projects in Oklahoma are seeking certification in Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, he said.

Students in the program will have a leg up on others wanting to work in the field, Parker said.

"The techniques and building strategies learned in this program will be a huge advantage to those who seek jobs in the next decade," he said.