Boeing creates new scholarship program for women, minorities at UMR
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Boeing representative Robert Feldmann, program manager of the E/A-18G Program, presented a $225,000 donation to fund a new Boeing Scholars Program at the University of Missouri-Rolla on June 8.
"This program allows Boeing to help a significant number of students by providing $185,000 of scholarships and $40,000 of other support for student-oriented programs," says Feldmann, a 1980 UMR graduate in computer science. "The goals of the Boeing Scholars program at UMR are to attract and retain more students in technical degrees. This is especially true for females and minorities, who are underrepresented in our technical workforce and represent an enormous untapped resource. For this reason, 80 percent of the scholarship funds are dedicated to females and minorities."
The new scholarship program will support students in engineering and science, with $75,000 each designated for minority and female students and $35,000 for economically disadvantaged students. Boeing plans to donate $185,000 each year to fund the scholarships, beginning with the 2004-05 academic year.
"Boeing and UMR are equally committed to ethnic and gender diversity in the engineering and technology workforce," says Jay Goff, dean of enrollment management at UMR. "One of the most effective methods of increasing the ethnic and gender diversity in engineering is to provide scholarships for young underrepresented and female students to encourage them to pursue careers in engineering, computers, and science."
Each scholarship recipient will receive a minimum of $500, with some receiving up to $2,000, depending on need. "The range is necessary to account for students who demonstrate additional financial need or hardship," Goff explains.
Boeing has been an industry leader in working with universities to help develop their engineering and technical programs, says Dr. Robert Mitchell, dean of the School of Engineering at UMR.
"The Boeing Scholars Programs represents a new level of commitment to help provide access to all and especially encourage women and minorities to live up to their potential," Mitchell says. "The fact that Boeing chose UMR for one of its largest scholarship programs ever makes us feel honored and very proud."
The Boeing Co. is the world’s leading aerospace company, with its heritage mirroring the history of flight. It is the largest manufacturer of satellites, commercial jet liners and military aircraft. The company is also a global market leader in missile defense, human space flight and launch services. Chicago-based Boeing has an extensive global reach with customers in 145 countries.
