2007 40 Under 40 Honoree: Shawn Strong, Ph.D.

Shawn D. Strong has served as department head for industrial management at Missouri State University for three years, and in that time, he has helped to turn around the program.

“I have had the opportunity to bring together a diverse team of faculty members, which previously functioned somewhat disjointedly,” Strong said. “Together, we have taken a department with enrollments that had been in decline for 20 years and have now had double-digit increases for the last three years.”

After earning a Ph.D. in industrial education and technology at Iowa State University, Strong joined MSU’s faculty in 1999 as an assistant professor.

He was promoted to department head three years later.

Strong and his team created three new degree programs – construction management, emerging technologies management and master’s degrees in project management – and secured American Council for Construction Education construction management accreditation.

Strong has his professional goals already in mind, including but not limited to continuing to grow his department to the point of national recognition.

“A long-term goal may be the position of academic dean or other high-level academic administrative position,” he said. “I believe I am on track to accomplish this.”

Strong serves on the board of directors for the Springfield Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and is an adviser for its MSU student chapter.

He also has donated hundreds of hours to building and maintaining exhibits at the Discovery Center.

Strong, who has a wife, Amy, and a 4-year-old-son, Lucas, also is raising money for an endowed scholarship fund that was established in the name of the couple’s youngest son, Sylas, who died last fall.

Stats

Position: Department Head, Industrial Management Department, Missouri State University

Age: 33

Favorite professional sports team: St. Louis Cardinals – “I jump on bandwagons. If I can’t (say) the Missouri State Bears, then I will go with the popular answer.”

A quote to live by:“Well done is better than well said.” – Benjamin Franklin

Information accurate at the time of the honor.