Dean's Circle Spotlight: Terps Cement Legacy—and Leadership Example

Dean's Circle Spotlight

Two of Maryland Engineering’s most generous philanthropists, Scott ’82, M.B.A. ’86 and Carole M.B.A. ’86 Greenhaus, are getting in on the ground floor of Stanley R. Zupnik Hall—quite literally.

With gratitude for their leading gift, the university will name in their honor the Scott and Carole Greenhaus Building Information Modeling (BIM) Lab, the first named lab in Zupnik Hall, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s new home slated for completion in 2026.

Scott has served Maryland-based construction company Structural Group for more than 42 years, beginning as an intern while he was an undergraduate studying civil engineering at the Clark School. Now mostly retired, he serves as a senior advisor to the company he helped build.

The Danbury, Conn., native describes his first couple of years at UMD as “a challenge, academically and socially.” But something “clicked” during his junior year internship, when Scott was sent out to conduct concrete and soil testing—and experienced the fast pace, energy, and excitement of being on job sites. His particular interest in concrete was further piqued by concrete design classes taught by Professor Donald W. Vannoy, with whom Scott would later collaborate on structural restoration projects in the Baltimore–Washington area.

The Dean’s Circle

recognizes those who have given $100,000 or more during their lifetime to the Clark School. To learn how your charitable donation can make a significant difference in the future of Stanley R. Zupnik Hall, contact Jennifer L. Schwartz, chief development officer and assistant dean for advancement, at 301-405-0317 or jschwar2@umd.edu.

Scott’s high-profile portfolio with Structural Group included repair and restoration jobs at the Freedom Tower, the Waldorf Astoria, and the new Tappan Zee Bridge in New York, along with the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. But he’s equally proud of the company’s people-focused projects, including its Project Engineer Career Development Program for early-career engineers and its thriving internship program for engineering students—they employed 90 interns last summer alone. “With engineering, product manufacturing, and design, there are lots of options at Structural for a new engineer to choose their adventure,” says Scott.

He credits his time at UMD for both his career, and his family: Scott and Carole’s own adventure together began when they met as part-time M.B.A. students at the Robert H. Smith School of Business (Carole recalls the “around-the-clock experience,” working days and going to school at night). The couple made good career connections and lasting friendships; they would settle in the area and have two sons, Eric and Kyle.

In 2018 the Greenhaus family contributed generously to the need-based scholarship Maryland Promise Program (MPP), recently increasing their giving to support a department-specific MPP for civil and environmental engineering. “I’ve been given a lot from UMD. Following the lead of alums like Mr. Jim Clark, I thought we could come up with a little something,” Scott says with modesty. “By relieving some of the financial burden, I hope the scholarship can help students take full advantage of what the Clark School has to offer.”

Also generous with his time, Scott chairs the Clark School’s Board of Visitors (BOV) and serves on the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s BOV, roles he especially enjoys when he gets to meet engineering undergrads. “It blows me away when students present their innovative devices and projects and competition entries, often winning against some of the best engineering schools in the country,” he says. “These students give me hope for the future.”

Knowing students need spaces that inspire success, the 163,000-square-foot Zupnik Hall will facilitate the kind of idea sharing and big thinking needed to solve society’s grand challenges. “I hope Zupnik Hall is a place that will attract new talent and innovation,” says Scott, “along with excitement for making the built world a safer, better place.”

Published October 29, 2024