Two new endowed scholarships in the Department of Construction Science will benefit future generations of Aggie constructors. The Ellis Custom Homes/Debra ’90 and Keith Ellis ’88 Scholarship and The American Subcontractors Association Houston Chapter Schoalrship were both created last month through the matching scholarship program of the Construction Industry Advisory Council.
The endowments will provide critical financial support to undergraduate students in the department, according to Joe Horlen, head of the department.
“With tuition on the rise, support of our students is more important than ever,” said Horlen. “This kind of scholarship support makes a tremendous difference in the lives of these young people.”
The Ellises both have firsthand knowledge of the importance of scholarships for today’s student. Keith, a construction science graduate, is president and owner of Ellis Custom Homes, an award-winning residential construction firm based in College Station. Debra, a former student of the College of Education, now teaches construction law on the Department of Construction Science faculty.
The gift from the American Subcontractors Association represents an investment in the future of the construction industry. In presenting the gift, Mike Holland, president of the Houston Chapter, said, “The ASA-Houston Chapter is proud to begin a legacy of helping shape the future leaders of our industry, and we hope to spark an interest in the specific issues that specialty contractors and suppliers deal with as the primary employers of the construction workforce.”
Each $25,000 scholarship fund will be invested by the Texas A&M Foundation to permanently fund an annual scholarship award to an undergraduate student in the Department of Construction Science through earnings on the investments.
For more information on endowed scholarships and other ways to make a difference for the College of Architecture, contact Larry Zuber of the Texas A&M Foundation at 979.845.0939 or l-zuber@tamu.edu.
Contact: Phillip Rollfing, prollfing@archone.tamu.edu or 979.458.0442.