Three more WKU students have earned national certification in floodplain management.
Students Alex Krumenacher of Hendersonville, Tenn.; Nick Lawhon of Gallatin, Tenn.; and Austin Shields of Lexington passed the Certified Floodplain Manager examination on Jan. 22.
The exam completes CE 300 Floodplain Management, the capstone course in WKU’s minor in floodplain management. The minor is the first of its kind in the United States.
“This is a very difficult national certification exam with a 75 percent pass rate,” said Warren Campbell, associate professor of civil engineering and coordinator of the floodplain minor. “Most of the people who take this exam have degrees and have been working in the field for a few years. WKU students typically know very little about floodplain management before taking the WKU floodplain management course. However, 14 of the last 15 WKU students who have taken the exam have passed giving a pass rate of 93 percent, far exceeding the national average.”
Almost 21,000 U.S. communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program. By law, each of these communities must designate a floodplain administrator.
“The communities would or should want to have their floodplain administrator be a CFM, but there are only about 6,500 nationwide,” Campbell said.
In 2004, there were only seven CFMs in Kentucky. Today there are 52. In the past three years, 28 WKU floodplain management students have passed the CFM exam.
Contact: Warren Campbell, (270) 745-8898.
