Supporting students

The Golf Course Builders Association of America is re-establishing its commitment to helping college students who want a career in construction-related segments of the golf industry.

The GCBAA Scholarship Program is mentor program that offers summer jobs and internships. Its goal is to provide an avenue toward future employment in the golf course construction industry. Scholarships will be established at select universities and offered to students who have expressed an interest in a career in golf course construction, design and/or related product development.

“We want to support and nourish students who have an interest in golf course development,” says O’Brien McGarey, president of Dye Designs Group and v.p. of the GCBAA Foundation, which funds the scholarship program.

The program is the work of the GCBAA Foundation, which also helps develop the Sticks for Kids program, providing the tools and opportunities necessary to allow as many junior golfers as possible to enjoy the game..

The participating universities in the scholarship program for the 2006-07 school year are:
1. Pennsylvania State University
2. Methodist College in North Carolina
3. Lake City Community College in Florida
4. University of Wisconsin
5. University of Nebraska
6. Kansas State University
7. Colorado State University
8. Arizona State University
9. University of California, San Diego
10. Washington state University

Additionally, four other universities are lined up: Rutgers University, University of Georgia, Michigan State University and Mississippi State University.

“We’re committed to state institutions because we feel the impact is greater,” McGarey says.
When choosing the schools, the foundation’s board sat down with map and selected schools it knew members or members’ employees came from, McGarey says.

“We selected programs that we knew the learning curve would be short,” he says. “We tried to fill up the map – East, West, North and South.”

Selected academic degree departments at each university include:

• Landscape architecture;
• Construction management;
• Turfgrass management;
• Golf course operations; and
• Professional golf management.

The scholarships will be in increments of $1,000 per academic year. Candidates must have third, fourth or fifth year (senior) class standing with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. All scholarships are for one year, however, a student may reapply for a second-year award.
The scholarship selection process will be administered by each university’s foundation office with candidate guidance/input from the selected department heads. Fiscal review and monitoring will be done by the GCBAA Foundation.

“All of this is new to us as volunteers on the board,” McGarey says. “We hired a full-time employee to coordinate the programs and left it up to the universities to select the appropriate recipient of the scholarship. The intention is to spend the money and replenish it each year.”

Money the GCBAA raises internally is put in the foundation for scholarships, Sticks for Kids and other programs. McGarey says scholarship funding is committed for five years for 20 programs.

As a result of the scholarships, recipients will be able to post their resume on the GCBAA career Web site, and they’ll be given a two-year affiliate membership in the GCBAA, which includes:

• Mailings including Earth Shaping News;
• Membership directory;
• Web site access;
• Invitation to GCBAA meetings and functions; and
• Tournament access to USGA, PGA of America and LPGA events.

Scholars also will be given the opportunity to participate in the GCBAA Member Internship and Mentoring Programs with a member company.

As part of the program, the GCBAA Scholarship Alumni Society will be established to encourage continued contact and participation by the scholars, on a long-term basis, in the GCBAA.
Each university’s selected department head and/or foundation officer will be offered affiliate membership in the GCBAA and all rights thereof. As members, it’s expected they’ll become ambassadors of the GCBAA and its programs.

For the 2006-07 academic year, GCBAA members will be given the opportunity to match scholarships at any of the selected universities, preferably in their local region. For the 2007-08 academic year, GCBAA members will be given the opportunity to suggest and match scholarships at a university of their choice, which has academic programs meeting the scholarship program’s guidelines. Interested members should contact McGarey at 303-759-5353.

Future locations for the 2007-08 school year include:

• New England
• Detroit
• Louisville, Ky.
• Atlanta
• South Florida
• Baton Rouge, La.
• Memphis, Tenn.
• St. Louis
• Dallas
• San Antonio, Texas
• Albuquerque, N.M.
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Las Vegas, Nev.
• Sacramento, Calif.
• Portland, Ore.

GCBAA members will be given the opportunity to provide internships to selected scholarship recipients. Internships may be in fields related to construction, design, product manufacturing and/or product distribution.

Members also will be given the opportunity to mentor scholars and/or other interested students at selected universities. Mentoring will be coordinated by the GCBAA member through the GCBAA Foundation and the appropriate university’s department head(s). Responsibilities might include face to face meetings with students, class participation and/or visits by student(s) to the GCBAA member’s business facilities and/or project sites.

McGarey says the program intends to cover all members, not just builder members.
GCN