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Hal Kvisle (Photo: Supplied)

Hal Kvisle has spent a lifetime turning complex ideas into finished projects as an engineer and executive. Now, with a $3-million gift to establish the Hal Kvisle Professorship in Project Management, he’s investing in the next generation of builders in the Faculty of Engineering at the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ — so students graduate ready to deliver large-scale capital projects on time and on budget. It’s the first step in a three-phase vision made possible by donors committed to establishing ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ as a leader in the execution of major projects.

Kvisle, who earned his BSc in civil engineering in 1975, received the U of A’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005 and the Canadian Business Leader Award in 2009, calls this gift a thank-you to the faculty that launched his career. “The real driver at the outset is me simply wanting to acknowledge and thank the U of A engineering school for the great start they gave me — and to help other young people go in the right direction,” he says.

The professorship’s mandate is pragmatic and ambitious. Working with industry partners, the holder will develop and share best practices, produce practical guides and integrate them into the curriculum, ensuring that classroom learning translates to real-world results. For Kvisle, who led teams responsible for some of the country’s largest energy and infrastructure builds, the need is clear: major project success requires more than Gantt charts.

“Major project management is a lot more than just keeping track of the schedule,” he says. “It’s a fascinating intersection of technical engineering, a good understanding of the social circumstances you’re operating in and the detailed discipline you’ve got to be on top of.”

Kvisle’s vision is student-focused. While research will help advance the field, he wants undergraduates to leave with a “very deep understanding of project management” that typically takes years to acquire on the job. “A whole lot of what I learned from experienced people could be condensed and taught in the classroom,” he says. “If we can get that knowledge to students sooner, we can raise the whole game.”

Momentum is building. In April, Kvisle co-hosted a Calgary gathering with the dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Simaan AbouRizk, to introduce the endowment and reconnect industry leaders with the faculty. Companies like Imperial Oil and Cenovus have long histories of collaboration with the faculty, and Kvisle believes a renewed, constructive partnership will accelerate the professorship’s impact.

Simaan AbouRizk and Hal Kvisle. (Photo: Supplied)

Kvisle’s own path — sparked by formative student jobs and guided by mentors — shapes his approach. He recalls learning “valuable common-sense reality” from refinery floors to northern field operations, experiences that sharpened his conviction that engineers must lead in planning and delivery. “You’ve got to have the engineers involved,” he says.

For donors, this is a chance to equip students with practical know-how and confidence, and to strengthen ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ’s capacity to execute nation-building projects. Kvisle frames it simply: “If there’s public support for taking a deeper look at how we execute projects so they’re not always delayed or over budget, that’s good for the country. I’d like us to play a small part in that.”

With this professorship, donors and educators are doing exactly that — giving students the tools to turn complex plans into completed projects that benefit communities across ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ and beyond.