At Harper, many of our employees had the opportunity to go through the Construction Science and Management (CSM) department at Clemson University. Through this program, several of our employees had the pleasure of having Dr. Bausman as a mentor and teacher. Upon hearing of his passing late this past November, our teammates were moved to share their condolences and appreciation in his honor.
“Dr. Bausman was the most influential professor I had while at Clemson. He was loved by all of the CSM students. I believe what made him so endearing was his genuine care for students and the construction industry. Make no mistake about it, Dr. Bausman was a construction guy – you could tell he loved construction and had a passion for it. I think that is what made him so good at his role of teaching. He also did a really good job of making the classroom instruction applicable to what your real-life experience would be in the future. He challenged me and gave me a hard time, but more than anything, he cared for me. Dr. Bausman’s impact on all of the CSM students and now construction professionals throughout the County cannot be overstated.” – Hootie Solesbee, VP of Preconstruction, 2006 Clemson Graduate
“I had the privilege of having Dr. Bausman for two classes at Clemson and I learned more in those classes than any others. Dr. Bausman used his success in the industry to humbly and generously teach his students about project management and scheduling through his personal experiences and stories; these lessons were far more valuable than any textbook could teach. Not only was he an incredible teacher, but he was a mentor to me outside of the classroom. In 2021, I was the Homecoming Coordinator for the annual Habitat for Humanity Homecoming Build on Bowman Field and Dr. B was always there for me to answer any questions and coach me through this project management process. Dr. B truly cared about his student’s success and future in the industry. During my senior year, Dr. Bausman helped me assess and analyze multiple job offers and through many conversations, helped me choose Harper. He will truly be missed by me and many others who were fortunate to know him and have him as a professor.” – Addison Dicks, Project Engineer, 2022 Clemson Graduate
“Dr. Bausman was the most influential teacher I had. He made me change the whole way I thought about construction management, my career, and how to travel that path. He had a pulse on the construction industry around here because he was shaping the way we (as students) thought about it. He really pushed his students to give more than what we thought we could. If there was anything that Dr. Bausman could do, it was that he could really open a person up to their full potential. His passing is a great loss to the community, the college, and the industry. My condolences to his family.” – Matt Andrade, Assistant Superintendent, 2018 Clemson Graduate
“Clemson lost a special member of the CSM family. He was a legend and loved by all of his students. He was my mentor, teacher, and friend. He gave me confidence that I could succeed in this crazy, demanding, male-dominated industry. He encouraged me to push my limits, even when I felt that I could not. He never shied away from delivering the hard and ugly truth. I will forever be grateful for what I learned from Dr. B. I owe so much to him, and his family is in my thoughts and prayers.” – Brittany Johnson, Preconstruction Manager, 2012 Clemson Graduate
“Dr. B was my favorite professor at Clemson! He was not a textbook professor. He taught using his wealth of knowledge and experience, always encouraging us to think outside the box.” – Brittany Chamberlin, 2017 Assistant Project Manager
“Dr. Bausman was my favorite professor at Clemson! One of my favorite lines from Dr. Bausman was “Keep It Simple, Stupid.” I think it was an old military term he liked to use. He said this a few times when helping coach and mentor my competition teams. His thought was that simplifying presentations and focusing on hard hitting points was a good way to keep an audience’s attention. It helped my teammates and I come to terms that an audience isn’t going to always know/understand what a construction professional is going through, but it’s our job to make the potential client feel that we are focused on their needs. My other favorite part of learning under Dr. Bausman was that he had real world experience. His scenarios that we discussed were not as theoretical as some classes were. Dr. Bausman often put your mind directly into what is going to happen in the real world.” – Brady Coker, Project Manager, 2018 Clemson Graduate
“Dr. B was one of the most influential people in my development in construction. I spent many hours as a student and after graduation in his office discussing career, construction, and everything in between.” – Kevin Goemaat, Project Manager, 2010 Clemson Graduate
We hope these remembrances continue to shed light on the positive impact of Dr. Bausman on our Harper teammates and the construction community and our prayers and thoughts are with his family and the Clemson CSM community.