The recent 20 years of infrastructure construction in China makes a great opportunity for the self-improvement of civil engineering higher education. Compared with the corresponding construction history of America, it is found that a number of universities upgraded their civil engineering education by participating in practical engineering. This paper introduces the academic innovation activity of CEE UIUC in different period of construction in America, and the history about the theoretical research and engineering education were promoted to the world leading level. Finally, the problems of Chinese civil engineering higher education are analyzed, and the tactics about how to solve them in current surge of infrastructure construction period is presented, all that can be taken as reference for higher engineering education.