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Endowment Funds IBS Student Scholarships for 2011
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Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo students at the 2010 Residential Construction Management Competition at the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas. | The National Housing Endowment — the philanthropic arm of NAHB — has allocated $75,000 for students to attend the 2011 International Builders’ Show in Orlando — $50,000 in new funding and $25,000 from last year.
The new funding extends the program for a fourth year. Since its inception, the program has awarded $315,000 in scholarships.
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 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 $150,000 from students and HBAs to attend the 2010 IBS.
More than 1,000 students and faculty attended the 2010 IBS and scholarships were given to nearly 600 of the students.
“Attending the show and seeing all the new innovations, tools and products just inspired me,” said Christopher Templeman, a student at Texas State Technical College. "The educational value of attending IBS is more than exceptional and the whole experience truly has strengthened my desire to become a great builder.”
“IBS changed my perception of the housing industry dramatically,” said Jay Lewis, a student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “I thought that the best way to enter the field was through commercial construction, but after IBS I've noticed that that is not exactly true. With all the booths at the expo, it's hard to deny that home building will rise again.”
“The IBS really puts the residential construction industry in perspective and allowed me to understand the magnitude of the industry. As a construction management/building science student I feel that there is no better educational experience out there,” said Andrew Sams, NAHB Student Chapters club president at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.
“Now, when I head into an interview, the NAHB Residential Construction Management Competition packet is the first piece I reach for after my resume. It demonstrates a variety of skills — everything from creating professional documents to analyzing market segments and choosing target market groups,” said former NAHB intern Christopher DeHaan, of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. “I continue to recommend the competition to my peers, not only because of my close connection to NAHB, but also because of the experience it provides.”
“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 2011 International Builders’ Show will be available on the endowment Web site in the fall.
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