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Endowment Funds IBS Student Scholarships for 2010
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Students from University of Nebraska at Lincoln thank Ryobi, which sponsored their team in the Residential Construction Management Competiton at IBS. | The National Housing Endowment — the philanthropic arm of NAHB — has allocated $100,000 for students to attend the 2010 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas. The new funding extends the program for a third year.
The scholarships enable NAHB Student Chapter members to offset some or all of their travel and attendance expenses at IBS. Providing funding to students has proven to be instrumental in helping them learn outside the classroom and prepare careers in the home building industry.
The IBS scholarship program also helps give young NAHB members the tools to enter into the federation as graduates and to become future leaders. Students and faculty are challenged every year to raise travel money to attend the events and participate in activities at the IBS.
“The board of trustees of the National Housing Endowment felt this program was so valuable, they made the decision to continue the funding,” said Gary Garczynski, endowment chairman and 2002 NAHB president. “Even in these hard times, we still must invest in the future of our industry.”
The endowment Board of Trustees voted to extend the funding during a meeting at IBS earlier this year after receiving scholarship requests for more than $200,000 from students and HBAs to attend the 2009 IBS.
About 1,300 students and faculty attended the 2009 IBS — the most ever to attend the show — and scholarships were given to more than 525 students.
“I learned about new products and ideas and tried some new tools at IBS. Being there really made me feel like I was headed in the right direction,” said Mark Kinney, a student at Central Michigan University. “The scholarship was very helpful. I hope the program will entice more students to enter this special industry.”
“Learning about all aspects of housing development has helped me understand more about the housing industry,” said Patrick O’Neill, a student at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo who participated in the Residential Construction Management Competition at IBS. “I was able to get more of a ‘top level’ understanding of home building while at IBS.”
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Students from John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill. get ready to compete at IBS. | “This competition project was an incredible hands-on experience,” said Darin Bigus, another Cal Poly teammate in the competition. “It helped prepare me for the real world and will give me an edge over other people pursuing careers in home building.”
While students in the competition gained plenty of first-hand experience, the technology and products on display at IBS also gave students insight into the advances being made in residential construction.
“One of the aspects of the show that impressed me the most was the amount of technology and innovation at the show,” said Jeremy McGrath, a student at Pennsylvania State University. “Students oftentimes are led to believe that residential construction is not as technologically advanced as commercial construction, but from what I saw at IBS, that is far from the truth.”
“The endowment is working to increase the number of professionals entering residential construction and this scholarship, along with other programs we sponsor, is leading the effort to reward and encourage the best and brightest to choose rewarding careers in the industry,” said Garczynski. “We appreciate our partnership with the Home Builders Institute and the NAHB Student Chapters, without whose support this program would not be such a success.”
Applications for scholarships for the 2010 International Builders’ Show will be available online in early fall.
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