Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

Cox Wins Hoadley Award, State’s Highest ASCE Honor for Educators

Chris Cox.CEE Department Head and Robert M. Condra Professor Chris Cox was recently honored by the state section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) with its highest recognition for an educator, the 2020 Peter G. Hoadley Award for Outstanding Engineering Educator. Cox also received the 2020 Outstanding Engineering Educator Award from the local Knoxville Branch of the ASCE.

The Hoadley award was instituted by the Tennessee Section of ASCE in 2004 for an engineering educator member of the Tennessee Section of ASCE who has made definite contributions to the education process and to the Society at the National, Section, and/or Branch levels.

ASCE Knoxville Branch President Karen J. McKeehan noted that among his many contributions to growing the visibility and morale of the department, Cox is highly engaged with both faculty and students.

“Shortly after assuming his position as department head, he elected to teach a junior level course in engineering professional practice, a required course for all civil and environmental engineering undergraduate students,” she said. “He chose to do this because he wanted to get to know all the students in the civil engineering program.”

Since becoming department head, Cox has also overseen a growth of both women and minority enrollment by 65 percent and 57 percent, respectively. Additionally, the U.S. News Graduate Ranking of public universities shows the CEE graduate program’s ranking has moved from number 42 to number 35 among public universities.

Over his career, Cox has taught more than 100 undergraduate and graduate courses and has received awards for his teaching and advising at the department, college, and university levels.