Civil engineering graduate honored with Dean’s Champion for Christ Award

One of the greatest skills Joel Harkness acquired as he pursued his B.S. in Civil Engineering through Liberty University’s School of Engineering was simply being teachable.

“You’re learning so many things in school as an engineer. I’ve learned to take things on and work through difficult topics and really learn things well,” said Harkness, who graduated magna cum laude. “This educational program has really helped me learn how to learn. That’s a skill that I’ll certainly be taking with me, adapting to different environments and learning things quickly.”

Harkness, a commuter student from nearby Goode, Va., has completed internships over the past three summers in surveying and land development design work with Hurt & Proffitt in Lynchburg, where he will start his career as a commercial and industrial project engineer on June 9.

“Something that’s been really helpful has been the involvement with the professional world that the civil engineering program offers,” Harkness said. “I toured Hurt & Proffitt my freshman year and have interacted with some of the professionals at the company and with other companies to really learn what the field is like.”

He tested his intuitiveness and applied his engineering knowledge most effectively as a second-year captain of Liberty’s Steel Bridge Construction competition team, which has qualified for the American Institute of Steel Construction National Finals at Iowa State University May 30-31.

Harkness also applied his internship experience toward his senior capstone project, which involved geotechnical exploration, grading, and design of an RV park at Liberty’s Hydaway Outdoor Center using topographical data provided by Senior Vice President of Facility Management and Planning and Construction Dan Deter. The project was named the winner for civil engineering in last Friday’s Engineering Capstone Expo.

Liberty’s civil engineering program started in 2019, two years before Harkness enrolled. The first graduating class in 2023 had seven students; this year’s class has 16.

“I really enjoyed developing friendships with my peers in the program,” said Harkness. “Since it’s a small program, I’ve been able to develop relationships with so many people, and that small environment has really been valuable. Engineers are stereotypically not very outgoing, but I’ve developed very close friendships with almost all of the people that I’m graduating with. They’re going to (engineering jobs) all over the country so I’ll have good contacts.”

As much as Harkness excelled academically, socially, and vocationally at Liberty, he has also been recognized for his Christ-like character, exemplary service, and spiritual impact. He was presented the annual Dean’s Champion for Christ Award during Friday morning’s degree presentation ceremony at the Center for Music and the Worship Arts, Concert Hall.

For his Christian Service hours, Harkness has served as a high school small group leader for the past four years at his home church, Heritage Baptist in Lynchburg, preparing weekly Bible studies.

“Doing my CSER through Heritage Baptist Church has been a very good integration and encouragement to continue serving in the local church,” he said. “When I was a freshman at Liberty, I joined with a group of ninth-grade guys in high school and the cool thing is … now they’re seniors graduating high school and I’m a senior graduating college, so I’ve been able to develop relationships with them over these four years.”

He said in similar ways Liberty professors including Dr. Kalehiwot Manahiloh and Bryon Ringley, PE, the Steel Bridge competition team faculty advisor, have been formative and helpful throughout his academic career.

“What I really appreciate about Liberty is that the professors are free to encourage us when times are difficult; they can equip us with Bible verses and past experiences of how they’ve seen the Lord work in their own lives.

“The Liberty environment has really fostered growth in so many areas besides academically and has prepared me for life, beyond just landing a good job,” he added. “I have really grown a lot from freshman to senior year, and it’s a neat culmination to see the fruit of the Liberty experience.”