DFI Educational Trust Report Though we will be almost halfway into the year when you read this report, I feel it is worth reflecting on how the Trust started and what has been accomplished in the five years since its inception. As chair of the Trust Board of Trustees, and a member of the board since it began, I think it is important to point out the Trust mission and how we fulfill it for the benefit of new DFI members and magazine readers, as well as to thank the existing members who have contributed financially and of their time. Following board meetings in Boston in October 2011 and Duck Key, Fla., in February 2012, we will soon be implementing some changes based on various meeting discussions and great suggestions from the participants. History The trust was established in 2006 as a non- profit organization 501(c)3. We are an independent charitable foundation of the Deep Foundations Institute. Our board is currently comprised of seven trustees with chairman, vice chairman, secretary and treasurer officer positions. Five of the seven are core members and the other two are the DFI treasurer and president, which change as DFI members vote in new trustees annually. The board manages scholarship programs, the Annual Student Paper Competition, the Annual Young Professors Paper Competition and the History of Deep Foundations Poster program. In addition the trust oversees the Hal Hunt Fund, Paul De Bruyn Memorial Student Scholarship Fund and sponsors various fundraising dinners held annually, honoring Jorj Osterberg and Ben Gerwick. Mission The Trust’s mission is to promote awareness of the deep foundations indus- try among students majoring in civil engineering and heavy construction; provide scholarships for students seeking degrees in civil engineering/construction engineering and construction engineering relevant to the deep foundations industry; provide and support educational programs and student activities that include deep foundation design and construction. University Affiliate and Student Chapters The Trust sponsors four Berkel & Company Contractors Inc. Scholarships; thanks to the generous $1,000,000 donation the company made to the Trust in 2008. The following universities receive $12,500 each per year from the Berkel Fund: University of California at Berkeley; University of Illinois, Auburn University in Alabama: and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The Trust also manages two standalone scholarship programs; Stanley Merjan City College of New York (CCNY) Civil Engineering Scholarship started in 2010 and the Larry P. Rayburn University of Cincinnati (UC) Civil Engineering Scholarship, which is starting in 2012. Both scholarships provide $10,000 to each school and were endowed through donation drives spearheaded by myself for CCNY and by Doug Keller of Richard Goettle Inc. for UC, and the generous donations of many DFI members and friends of DFI. David Coleman, Chair [email protected] Trust has awarded over $277,000 to 15 high school students through our affiliation with the ACE Mentor Program, 37 university students through the Berkel and CCNY Scholarship Funds and prizes for the Student and Young Professor Paper Competitions, the Hal Hunt and Osterberg Annual Lectures and the Gerwick Innovation Award. The Trust assets currently exceed $1.5 million and are expected to grow based on our conservative investment strategy. Our return on investment coupled with fundraising dinners, golf outings and donations is, to a large extent, how we fund our various scholarship programs. Future Plans At the conclusion of the winter planning meeting a number of decisions and goals were set for 2012, including the following: expanding the number of trustees for the Educational Trust Board of Trustees, forming an at-large scholarship for individual engineering students who are The trust assets currently exceed $1.5 million and are expected to grow based on our conservative investment strategy. The DFI board in 2009 set a goal to add five affiliate university scholarships over a five year period with one new school added yearly. The selection process is currently underway for our third university for 2012. An announcement is expected later this year. The goal is to have university affiliates schools strategically located throughout the U.S. and possibly the world. DFI and DFI Educational Trust currently support five Student Chapters at University of California at Berkeley, University of Illinois, CCNY, University of Missouri and American University Dubai. To date the not affiliated with our selected university, perpetuating annuity fund programs, creating a dedicated Educational Trust website, expanding joint fundraising programs between the DFI and the DFI Educational Trust, and developing an estate planning brochure. I encourage membership to reach out to our board members and pledge finan- cially and/or volunteer time in support of our various programs and activities. Remember it is our officers and trustees who have led to our success through their resources that support our mission. DEEP FOUNDATIONS • MAY/JUNE 2012 • 27
