An innovative engineering educator and accomplished veteran with a passion for mentorship, service, and industry progress
Inducted 2025
Col. Robert K. Tener was a decorated veteran, engineer, leader, and educator. Tener came to Iowa State to pursue his master’s degree after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Tener completed his master’s in 1962, and PhD in 1964 both in structural engineering.
His 27-year career as an army commissioned officer started in Korea and Vietnam and took him and the Tener family to more than 20 locations around the world, leading battalions of builders. Tener earned many recognitions for his leadership and service, the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious achievements in Vietnam in 1968, a Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding service as a U.S. Military Academy faculty member in 1972, and a Meritorious Service Medal for service as Battalion Commander in Germany in 1975. Tener retired in Dallas, Texas in 1984 with the rank of Colonel.
His accomplished military career led to a position at the Pentagon, then to Nashville Tennessee where he held the title of District Engineer, serving as the Corps of Engineers’ senior executive responsible for 1,000 employees, $200 million in annual planning, design & construction within five states. Tener returned to Washington, D.C. as Executive Staff at the Corps of Engineers Headquarters and developed policies and programs for major parts of the Corps’ $3 billion, nationwide program of civil works.
Tener’s journey in academia began as an Instructor and Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at the West Point U.S. Military Academy, from 1969-1972 teaching the capstone course, civil engineering design, and he introduced the first computer‐aided design methods into their CE curriculum. After his time as a service engineer, Tener returned to teaching at the Purdue University School of Engineering. At Purdue, Tener modernized course content in three CE core courses and in curricula for two Construction Engineering Management degrees. He was an innovative educator, connecting students directly to industry through developing internship programs, visiting students across the nation, and creating spaces within construction companies to accommodate interns. Tener’s teaching earned the Beta Tau Construction Engineering Honorary Outstanding Professor Award four times in the eight years as faculty at Purdue University.
Throughout his engineering and teaching experiences, Tener held many leadership positions in professional organizations. He has been a president, branch director, chair, and Fellow in the American Society of Engineers. He held memberships for over 30 years in the Society of American Military Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, American Society for Engineering Education, and the Design Build Institute of America. He was elected Engineer of the Year, Dallas, Texas in 1990, and in 2012, Tener was awarded the prestigious DBIA Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tener had a passion for service and innovation in the industry. He was the founding Executive Director of the Charles Pankow Foundation, a charitable scientific grantmaking foundation. This foundation helps produce research that advances innovative solutions for the U.S. building design and construction industry, awarding 18 research grants totaling $3.5 million during its first 24 months of existence. The Charles Pankow Foundation continues to support research grants for universities across the nation, including projects at Iowa State.