David “Dave” Arnold is a new instructor in the Department of Construction Management at Colorado State University. Learn about what brought him to CSU and his “to teach is to learn twice” teaching philosophy.

What brought you to the Department of Construction Management at CSU?

I came to Construction Management from Hewlett Packard, where I worked as a project manager in HP’s Corporate Design and Construction Department.  Most of my 40-year career was spent in California with HP at the 500-acre campus located in Roseville, California.  In 2016, I was asked by HP if I would move to the Fort Collins site to support a major project planned for both the HP Harmony Road site and a large site located in Colorado Springs.  During that time, I was also managing building projects in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Alpharetta, Georgia; California; and Plano Texas.  I semi-retired from HP in June 2019.

What are your research interests, and how did you get interested in that topic?

I got interested in construction management early in my college years, where I graduated with a construction technology degree from California State University Long Beach. I started working in construction for a large general contractor in the Los Angeles area.  During that time, I also studied and received my MBA from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles.  Soon thereafter, I switched from the contractor to the owner side responsible for design and construction projects for Hewlett Packard.  I was always interested in the possibility of entering the academic world.  I enjoyed mentoring young employees at Hewlett Packard as it was refreshing to me to see young, dedicated individuals coming out of college into professional careers.  I was mentored in a similar fashion and wanted to return the favor.

What’s your teaching philosophy? 

My teaching philosophy is a saying that “To Teach is to Learn Twice,” which was a paperweight for my desk.  It was a gift given to me by the Training Director at Hewlett Packard for my participation in an internal HP course in the subject area of project management.   It is on my desk still.

What’s your favorite thing about campus? 

Since coming to CSU in such a short time, I find the atmosphere of working in the Construction Management Department and the willingness of everyone here to help me learn is something I really appreciate.  As well, I find the students here to be very respectful and dedicated to their own respective learnings and hope for good careers in Industry after they graduate.

The Department of Construction Management is a part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.