Burns & McDonnell’s Jim Hogan to Receive SCE Alumni Achievement Award

Throughout his 33-year career at Burns & McDonnell, Jim Hogan (B.S.C.E. ’84) says he has always found his work enjoyable. Starting out in his career, his assignments were exclusively design work. As he continued to advance within the company, he saw an increase in responsibility and opportunities to gain more experience, leading him to become senior vice president of Operations in Burns & McDonnell’s Transmission & Distribution division.

These days, despite the many demands for his time and attention, Hogan makes a point to give back to causes that are important to him. He is an active member of the UMKC School of Computing and Engineering (SCE) Dean’s Executive Council and serves on the board of directors for Cornerstones of Care. He also advocates for and mentors UMKC SCE students.

His commitment to his company, community, his alma mater and the next generation are all reasons Hogan has been named the 2017 recipient of the UMKC School of Computing and Engineering Alumni Achievement Award.

“Jim recognizes the importance of the relationship between UMKC and Burns & McDonnell and helps students in securing internships and jobs within the company,” said Greg Graves, retired chairman and CEO of Burns & McDonnell. Hogan’s inspiration to give back to his alma mater and mentor students stems from his own undergraduate experiences at UMKC and within the SCE.

The youngest of six children, Hogan grew up in Kansas City and says his decision to attend UMKC was easy. Several of his siblings attended school at UMKC, and his parents paid for the first year of college at a local school for each of their children. Hogan spent his freshman year as a business major before switching to engineering in hopes he would find the classes more enjoyable. Although the classes were tough, he persevered. During his first year of engineering courses, Hogan was hired into a cooperative education program at Burns & McDonnell, where he would eventually spend his entire career following graduation.

“In the cooperative education program, I alternated semesters between work and school. The money I made while working covered my education and living expenses,” says Hogan.

Hogan recalls taking several undergraduate engineering courses taught by late engineering professor Dr. Stanley Nui. It was in these courses, Hogan reminisces, that he learned much about the fundamentals of engineering. Hogan credits Nui for influencing him to give back to the UMKC SCE during a lunch meeting nearly 15 years after Hogan received his bachelor’s degree. By this time Hogan was a department manager at Burns & McDonnell hiring SCE students. “I don’t remember if Dr. Nui actually asked or I just sensed it was his way of asking me to give back to UMKC,” said Hogan.

Hogan was instrumental in securing Burns & McDonnell’s support for the SCE’s newly constructed student collaborative space. In addition, he was able to inspire UMKC alumni at Burns & McDonnell to donate towards the space. Named for Burns & McDonnell, the space transformed a windowless classroom and serves as a new “front room” entrance to the third floor of UMKC’s Flarsheim Hall, home to the School of Computing and Engineering. Hogan often leads Burns & McDonnell’s efforts to support UMKC and the SCE, including many years as presenting sponsor for the SCE Alumni Association Golf Tournament, a benefit for student scholarships.

“As dedicated and loyal as Jim Hogan has been to Burns & McDonnell, he has been equally dedicated to the betterment of the School of Computing and Engineering,” said Kevin Z. Truman, dean of the school.

Hogan recognizes the importance of scholarships, encouraging both fellow alumni and Burns & McDonnell to continue to support the financial needs of students at UMKC, Truman says.

Today, Hogan says the most important and enjoyable part of his job is helping to make other employees successful. He says he had to learn many lessons the hard way so he tries to share his experiences and thinking with others.

Hogan’s words of wisdom for students following in his steps:

“Find balance in your life. Work hard, but don’t forget the people that are most important to you.”

Hogan will be honored during UMKC’s annual Alumni Awards Luncheon on April 20. The event takes place in Swinney Recreation Center on the UMKC campus. Click here for tickets or sponsorship information for the Alumni Awards Luncheon. Click here for more information on the 2017 Alumni Award recipients.