University of Michigan - Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

The University of Michigan (U-M) Civil and Environmental Engineering Department (CEE) has roots back to 1837, when an act was passed that provided for the organization and government of U-M and provided for a professor of civil engineering and architecture. In his inaugural Discourse of December 1852, U-M President Henry P. Tappan proposed “a scientific course parallel to the classical course” containing “besides other branches, Civil Engineering, Astronomy with the use of an Observatory, and the application of Chemistry and other Sciences to Agriculture and the industrial arts generally.” The first Civil Engineering lecture was given in February of 1854 by Alexander Winchell, the first U-M engineering faculty member. Winchell developed engineering courses until he was transferred to the chair of Natural History in September 1855. He taught at U-M for 33 years. Winchell was succeeded by West Point graduate William Guy Peck. Peck continued the instruction of surveying and civil engineering until 1857 when he resigned to go teach at Columbia University. That same year, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate named De Volson Wood started for Chicago to find a teaching job. He reached Detroit with no money to go farther, left his baggage and walked to Ann Arbor. He introduced himself to President Tappan and was asked to substitute to fill Peck’s vacant post for a few days. Ultimately, Wood taught at U-M for 15 years and became one of the best-known teachers in the United States. Wood developed and offered courses on the resistance of materials, bridge construction, hydraulic motors and the distribution of water in cities. At the time, engineering classes were taught in the South Wing of University Hall and were heated by wood stoves. The first Engineering degree was awarded in 1857 to William Vanderan Snyder. This made the University of Michigan the sixth university in the country and the first public university to award a degree in Engineering. In 1904, the Department of Civil Engineering moved to the West Engineering Building and remained there until 1985, when the department was relocated to the G. G. Brown Building on North Campus. CEE continues to occupy G. G. Brown today. One of the highlights of CEE’s history is [Camp Davis](https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/camp-davis/), which was established in Whitmore Lake in 1874. The camp was used to teach surveying field work. In 1929, the camp was relocated to Wyoming, where it remains to this day. **Mission Statement** Michigan Engineering provides scientific and technological leadership to the people of the world. We seek to improve the quality of life by developing intellectually curious and socially conscious minds, creating collaborative solutions to societal problems, and promoting an inclusive and innovative community of service for the common good. Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan strives to serve society by enriching habitats and sustaining resources. We leverage our diverse community of scholars to expand the boundaries and accelerate the impact of our profession.