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Paul Holley didn’t expect it to end up in academia.
Holly has been a longtime construction industry manager and CEO, and was looking for a change of pace in 2002 when his friend and Auburn University faculty member Steve Williams told him about a teaching job at his alma mater. He took the lead, and now nearly 20 years later, Holley has built a career as an educator that has evolved into one of the most impressive tenures of work on campus.
Holly has spent 15 years in the construction industry, helping to oversee the construction of hospitals, tall buildings and offices across the country for the likes of Birmingham-based conglomerates Robins & Morton and BL Harbert International. Along the way, he also earned an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as well as a Ph.D. in Education from Auburn – where he also earned a bachelor’s degree in building construction – before moving to a professorship in 2002.
Holly teaches contracting, construction surveying, planning, and project scheduling to both undergraduate and graduate students and serves as director of the Center for Construction Innovation and Collaboration, or CCIC. Most recently, he was named one of two winners of the prestigious 2021 Gerald and Emily Leischuck Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence, an honor not to be underestimated.
“It is so exciting, and I am so excited to be representing McWhorter College of Building Sciences and College of Architecture, Design and Construction,” said Holly, a five-time CADC Award for Excellence in Education. “Whatever small successes I may have personally, I am glad they can shed light on the good things that are happening in our school and college. I just want to do well, and it provides validation as a reason to keep working hard.
“There are a lot of people in our school who are very hard working and behind the scenes who make the faculty look good. I was really humbled to read the messages of support and it makes me happy to know that I have had at least some small impact on someone’s life or career.”
Using concrete examples from his experiences in the construction sector as ways to illustrate the principles and concepts of the curriculum he teaches, Holly focuses on the practical application of building science. Always teaches what is best for students, and focuses on two primary teaching priorities: 1. Creating an environment and culture where students are challenged and motivated to succeed, willing to make mistakes, learn from experience and help transition from college to university. Professional Scientist 2. Leverage students’ increased technology expertise and global awareness to maximize success in and out of the classroom.
“I think students shouldn’t be afraid of failure, but I think teachers are also the ones who learn,” said Holly, who completed the Management Development Program certificate program at Harvard University. “The students will stretch, they are flexible and they are smart.
“As a teacher, if I just said, ‘Okay, I’ll keep doing the same. This works well, “You will get old very quickly. You have to be willing to evolve, try new things, and look at things from different angles.”
Holly believes that his experience in the real world is a huge boost to his teaching and enables him to communicate with and teach his students more effectively.
“Oh, I think it makes all the difference in the world,” he said. “I think it enables me to approach things a certain way and bring certain things to the table. Our faculty, we’re very demanding, but quite frankly, our students are demanding and don’t go through the easiest curriculum on campus.
“They expect to get their money’s worth, so to speak, so our ability to be not just a passive distributor of information, but rather someone who can engage, enlighten, and bring real-world experiences and cases to the table I believe is a real benefit to both faculty and students.”
Holly, a second-generation graduate of Auburn University, has a deep connection to the university that inspired his return to the Plains and fueled his commitment to his career as an educator.
“I grew up in Alexandria, about 40 miles from here, and my father [Don] He graduated from Auburn in 1958,” Holly said. “As a kid who grew up coming to Auburn for games and had a Pat Sullivan poster on my wall, I always had a real strong connection to Auburn. I went to school here and then went on to my career with absolutely no intention or even thought of going back to teaching. But plans change, things happen.
“I had the opportunity to go back, and I’m not sure I would have done it anywhere else. It wasn’t like I was excited to go into academia. It was like, ‘Are you interested in teaching?'”Oh, maybe, maybe not.” “Are you interested in teaching at the college level?” “Maybe and maybe not.” “Are you interested in teaching at Auburn University in the School of Building Science?” “Okay, well, now we’re getting somewhere.”
Holly says inspiring students and helping them make their way through college into their careers provides a lot of fulfillment for him as a professor.
“I definitely have moments of pride and satisfaction, maybe in a classroom where you see the light bulb hits the proverbial,” said Holly, a former Wellborn Professor and Professor Bob Aderholt. “Or maybe it’s something more tangible about one of your students being honored or getting an award or getting a really great job, something like that.”
On a personal level, Holley remains inspired by the ever-changing nature of his profession and the ever-evolving group of students making their way to Auburn.
Selfishly, he said, “I find great relief in looking for new ways to get involved.” “Every year, I get older by a year, but the student body doesn’t. That means I have to be the one who changes. Of all the things I might be accused of, I don’t want to be accused of being old, boring, and unwilling to bend over and look for new ways.” to do things.”
Holly’s work with CCIC brings together faculty, students, and industry representatives to focus on innovative and collaborative problem-solving, while developing approaches to real problems related to building products and processes by integrating technology, expertise, and cutting-edge ideas. He has also trained more than 20 student teams in national and international competitions.
Holly and his colleagues do their best to prepare students for life after college, and mentoring plays a large role in this development.
“We’re talking about the idea of a professional program, and to get into a certain profession, it’s more than just formulas, codes, programs or anything else,” he said. “How do you navigate difficult choices? How do you handle communicating with a wide range of people?”
“As a construction worker, it is not surprising that one day you may have a conversation with a construction worker who is pushing wheelbarrows full of stones – a very important task – and after 30 minutes, you may talk to the CEO of a hospital company. So, all of these things plus courses coursework and co-curricular-based activities, and students are eager to learn and ask questions about it all.”
Providing that realistic vision and preparing industry leaders for tomorrow provides tangible and noticeable results for Holly and other Auburn teachers.
“Personally, I am really inspired by these students who can see their careers on the horizon,” Holly said. “For me, it’s really motivating to see how these guys and girls go, almost in front of your eyes, from wearing shorts and a T-shirt and slippers to a suit and putting on a multi-million dollar budget in front of a client. So, I’m energized by that because these students are on the edge of their career path, and they’re demanding Just by learning.”
Given the never-ending demand for construction professionals and the strength of the industry, Holly learned that Auburn graduates would hit the ground running as they embark on journeys beyond the Plains.
“The construction industry is exceptionally strong at the moment, and we are very fortunate to have such a strong demand for our students,” he said. “It’s a good problem. We produce people who manage and take risks to produce the built environment.
“Construction is the biggest industry in the world, maybe other than government, and it’s not going anywhere.”
Holly isn’t planning to go anywhere anytime soon. He and his wife Jack, who also works at Auburn, have two children, Lee Chapman, a senior at the University of Alabama, and Yates, a junior at Auburn High School.
In May, he will celebrate 20 years as a landmark in Auburn.
“I thought it was the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard,” Holly said of Williams’ proposal to join the faculty at Auburn. “Next thing you know, I’ve been here for 20 years. Awesome!”
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