2023-2024 Student Chapter of the Year Winner – University of Maryland, College Park

At the MCAA24 Awards of Excellence Breakfast on March 20^th, the University of Maryland, College Park was awarded the 2023-2024 MCAA Student Chapter of the Year for their continued achievement and overall focus on offering career opportunities in mechanical contracting to their student membership.

Sponsoring Local Affiliate: MCA of Metropolitan Washington, Inc.

• Tom Bello – Executive Vice President
• Randall Chenworth – Director of Education

Faculty Advisor

• Fitzgerald Walker – University of Maryland, College Park

Career Development

During the past year, the chapter participated in three field trips on the UMD (University of Maryland) campus to learn about mechanical systems first-hand. The students especially enjoyed their tour of the UMD Kim Engineering Building HVAC system, one of the most efficient and sophisticated mechanical systems on campus. By touring all floors of the building, they got an idea of the scale and complexity involved in the construction and conditioning of a commercial building that controls the indoor air quality for numerous classrooms and laboratories. The students were able to apply some of the principles from their campus tours directly to their 2023-2024 MCAA Student Chapter Competition project. The chapter received a Merit award for a Top Ten placement in that competition. 

Student members also organized a professional development meeting where one of their MCA Metropolitan Washington mentors presented “things to do and NOT to do as an intern or new employee.” The session emphasized items such as work attire, appropriate and formal communication, and punctuality. 

Recruitment

Coming into the 2023-2024 school year, the UMD student chapter members knew that recruitment would be one of the most important factors to focus on. With only 4 returning students, they made a plan to attend several student organizational meetings and fairs in hopes of attracting students interested in mechanical contracting. Through their recruitment strategies highlighted below, the chapter successfully grew from 4 to 17 students. 

• Attended the New Student Fair
• Attended the Mechanical Engineering Student Organizational Fair
• Talked to fellow students one-on-one
• Collected recommendations from professors
• Sent Engineering Department mass e-mails
• Participated in classroom visits to announce the chapter
• Arranged for MCA of Metropolitan Washington to present to a Project Management class

One of the most successful recruiting fairs was the A. James Clark School of Engineering New Student Fair, which focuses primarily on incoming freshman and new mechanical engineering students. Due to the younger demographic of this event, the chapter was able to focus on recruiting students who could learn from current chapter leaders and then continue the chapter in the future. Likewise, the ClarkLEAD Engineering Student Organization Fair is a program where new first-year and transfer students participate in activities to develop a sense of connectedness to their peers and community. During this fair, three members of the student chapter spoke on a panel and shared the benefits of belonging to their chapter in front of 60 new students.  

The chapter also used an interview process for potential members this year. Prospective students interviewed with the chapter’s co-presidents, who explained the basics of the chapter, MCA of Metropolitan Washington, and MCAA with a PowerPoint. Each prospective student could then determine whether chapter membership is consistent with their goals and career aspirations. The interviews also allowed the co-presidents to see if the prospective student was a good fit for the chapter and its end goal of educating future mechanical contractors and engineers.

Student Chapter Fundraising

Student chapter members volunteered to staff golfer registration, a putting contest and a raffle at the MCA of Metropolitan Washington Student Chapter Golf Tournament. This event, which invites mechanical contracting companies from the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area to the UMD Golf Course, provides an excellent opportunity for student chapter members to interact with mechanical contractors in a more relaxed and non-interview-based setting. The event raised over $18,000, including close to $2,000 from the student raffle.

Community Service

One especially notable event for the chapter was reading to students at Francis T. Evans Elementary School. The chapter members read “Grit Leads to Greatness,” a children’s book that highlights the need for the trades as two siblings go on a journey in a dystopian society. One book (sponsored by Procore) was distributed to each chapter at the MCAA GreatFutures Forum in Milwaukee last fall. After reading the book to a 3^rd grade class, the chapter members answered numerous questions about mechanical contracting and learned this was the first exposure to the trades for many of the elementary students. The chapter loved the experience of sharing their passion for the industry so much that they worked with faculty advisor Fitzgerald Walker and the MCA of Metropolitan Washington to distribute 70 copies of the book to children at that school a month later. 

The UMD students also held a food drive on campus this past winter. Following the month-long drive, they delivered three large boxes full of non-perishable food items to the University of Maryland food pantry. The chapter wanted to do something to give back to those less fortunate in their community, especially during the holiday season.

Congratulations to the University of Maryland, College Park on this well-deserved recognition!