Friday, January 22,1988/The Battalion/Page 5
lass takes contracting
into international arena
By Jeff Pollard
Staff Writer
Amid the cries and complaints
bbout the United States losing
ground in the international trade
community, one department at
[Texas A&M is teaching its students
hew ways to compete in an old field,
construction contracting.
Dr. John Epling, associate profes
sor of building construction, is the
developer and teacher of the Inter-
Inational Construction Contracting
class, COSC 689, where students are
Itaught the delicacies and potential
Iproblems that are a part of interna-
Itional contracting.
“The need to educate not only our
lown students but the construction
[industry in general in . the interna-
[tional arena is overwhelming,”
[Epling said.
As old as the idea is, the field of
[study is extremely new. The course
Itaught at A&M is the only one of its
type in the nation.
Steve Katz, an international-con-
I trading lawyer in Vienna, Austria
[and member of UNCITRAL (the
jUnited Nations’ Commission of In
ternational Trade Law), said he is
surprised at the progress A&M has
| made.
“It is amazing that Texas A&M
has accomplished in such a short
time what the UN and others have
been trying to do for years,” Katz re
marked.
It is this kind of recognition, along
with A&M’s accomplishments in this
field, that have earned an interna
tional reputation for the University
and Epling. For this reason, Eipling’s
talents are in demand worldwide.
Epling, along with 15 other lead
ing international-contracting law
yers from around the world, was in
vited by the American Bar
Association to analyze and discuss
the United Nations’ guidelines for
international-construction contracts.
Epling was the only university in
structor invited to speak.
“Communication is the most im
portant part of international con
tracting,” Epling said. “There has to
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Dr. John Epling discusses international construction’s potential.
be a meeting of minds. That’s tough
to do when you are dealing with
someone who speaks another lan
guage and comes from a different
ethnic background.”
To avoid this type of problem,
Epling has traveled as a representa
tive of the International Law Insti
tute to lesser-developed countries in
Asia and Afxica. His most recent trip
was to Ammon, Jordan where he ran
a seminar on international construc
tion project management.
“We have a great deal of capacity
that is sitting idle,” Epling said. “We
need to go out and Compete for
work in other countries. We need to
export what we’re not using to make
the most of w'hat we have.”
Epling said the United States can
not just sit back and be content with
being where it is. Americans have to
remember that they are no better
than anyone else; all people are
equal, he said. To compete in the fu
ture, the United States must up
grade its current system, he said.
“A few' years ago, if you could find
a Toyota in this country, you
laughed at it,” Epling said. “Now ev
eryone is laughing at General Mo
tors.”
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