UNI construction management students build Homecoming float from scratch
UNI construction management students build Homecoming float from scratch
A birthday party can’t exist without a cake. Not wanting to see the University of Northern Iowa launch its sesquicentennial celebration without something resembling the classic dessert, construction management students stepped in to get the job done. Although not actually edible, their wooden construction resembles an elaborate four-tier birthday cake. It was featured on a float during the 2025UNI Homecoming parade, which coincided with the launch of UNI’s 150th birthday. Students also worked on the float’s platform and backboard.
The idea for the float and its design were conceptualized by the Office of University Relations. The office shared the design with Randy Sharp, practitioner faculty in construction management, who jumped at the opportunity to give his students a unique hands-on experience.
“I’d been looking for some hands-on activities for this freshman class to do, and this was an excellent opportunity because it comes with a couple of different components,” said Sharp. “It’s not just building a float, but it’s deciding how to build it, how to design it, what our schedule is, how much time we have, and these are all the problems we face in a construction project. So that’s what makes this such a great opportunity for the students to not only have a little fun building, but to learn some of the lessons we’re trying to teach in these classes.”
Sharp is glad students enjoyed the project as much as he enjoyed leading the effort.
“I can lecture about framing a wall, but it’s a lot more fun to sit there and do it,” he said. “They’re gonna be able to have this experience, and they’re gonna understand when they're out on a job site managing skilled tradespeople. They’ll at least have a little understanding of what those skilled tradespeople are doing. That’s one of the goals of this project.”
Ahead of the big Homecoming parade, students expressed excitement over the community seeing the results of their hard work.
“It’s pretty awesome because I know this float is gonna be in front of a bunch of people at the parade, and just getting to do something for the community and for UNI is awesome, and I’m glad we get to do that in construction management,” said freshman Kyle Vonderhar.
Not only do the students learn valuable lessons in teamwork, but they also get to practice the hands-on skills of the tradespeople they will be overseeing in their future careers. Many of the students enjoyed the engaging nature of the project.
“You get to learn a little bit more about the ground-level stuff instead of just the high-level overview,” said freshman Tyler Willem. “You get to actually see and do these things.”
As an interior design major, junior Devon Van Dyke has a unique perspective.
“Coming from interior design, I feel like a lot of what I do and the construction management majors do is the same thing, and it kind of correlates with each other,” she said. “So it’s really nice to get to know them, because maybe I’ll see them out in the real world and in the field. Whether I go into residential design or commercial design, having a background in construction management will definitely help make a difference.”
