DES PLAINES, IL (February 7, 2003) -- As 2003 began, the American Society of Safety Engineers Foundation (ASSEF) was greeted with gifts from top corporations dramatically increasing the number of scholarships available for students pursuing a degree in occupational safety and health, and, for continued growth in safety and health research. Donations from the Bechtel Foundation, DaimlerChrysler Corporation Foundation, Ford Motor Company Foundation, the Liberty Mutual Group and the UPS Foundation illustrate their ongoing commitment to developing occupational safety and health professionals and for research in new areas of workplace safety. For the first time, San Francisco-based Bechtel Foundation donated $10,000 to the ASSEF establishing a new college scholarship for occupational safety and health students. The Bechtel Foundation Scholarship Program for Safety and Health will award a $3,000 scholarship annually to an undergraduate pursuing a career in construction safety or a related occupational safety and health field. Founded in 1898, Bechtel is one of the largest engineering and construction firms, with 50,000 employees working on nearly 1,000 projects worldwide.

      The DaimlerChrysler Corporation Foundation donated $25,000 to fund student scholarships and research. Over four years, the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund has donated $100,000 to the Foundation. The gift to ASSEF supports their corporation’s core set of themes and criteria that include programs that “demonstrate leadership, innovation, being a model of effective change, organizational self-sufficiency, empowered people, involved employees, teamwork, continuous improvement and results.” The DaimlerChrysler Corporation is a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler AG and a Fortune 50 company that employs more than 425,000 people throughout the world.

      The Ford Motor Company Foundation donated $15,000 to the ASSEF towards its scholarship program for women pursuing a degree in occupational safety and health. Ford has given a total of $45,000 over the past three years to the ASSEF to help women pursue a career in occupational safety and health. Ford’s Director of Healthcare Management Dr. Vincent Kerr said quality of life is very important to everyone and the safety of its workforce is of paramount importance to Ford.

      The UPS Foundation donated $35,000 to provide four scholarships at $5250 each for their traditional undergraduate program for juniors and seniors pursuing a degree in occupational safety and health and a UPS Diversity Scholarship Program, which will provide two awards of $5,250 each to be given to minority students in the field of professional safety. The UPS gift to the ASSEF reflects an increase of 40 percent over last year. Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, GA, the UPS Foundation identifies specific areas where its support will clearly impact social concerns. UPS is the world’s largest express carrier and package delivery company, serving more than 200 countries and territories with 360,000 employees nationwide.

      Encouraging research in occupational safety and health to reduce workplace fatalities and illnesses, the Liberty Mutual Group committed $30,000 for their annual Safety Research Fellowship Program. Two scholars will be chosen to conduct research this summer at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety in Hopkinton, MA on research projects that address the primary workplace concerns facing industry today. Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a diversified international group of insurance companies and one of the largest multi-line insurers in the North American property and casualty industry.

      This year the ASSEF will award 23 scholarships and professional development grants totaling $61,500 for students pursuing a degree in safety engineering, safety management, occupational health nursing, occupational medicine, risk management, ergonomics, industrial hygiene, fire safety, environmental safety, health or other safety-related fields. Applicants must be an ASSE member or ASSE student member. For consideration, undergraduates must have a grade point (GPA) of at least 3.2 out of 4.0, have completed at least 60 semester hours and are currently taking at least 12 semester hours. Graduates must have a GPA of at least 3.5 out of 4.0 and take at least nine semester hours.

      Chartered in 1990, the ASSEF is dedicated to supporting the advancement of the safety profession and to protect the safety and health of the public through funding safety research and education; providing professional development and financial resources to individuals and non-profit organizations pursuing safety research and careers; advancing the safety profession through financial awards for scholarships, internships and fellowships; and, towards developing accredited degree programs countrywide. All information and applications can be found on the ASSE web site at www.asse.org under ASSE Foundation or by calling ASSE customer service at 847-699-2929. Founded in 1911, the non-profit ASSE is the oldest and largest professional safety organization and is committed to protecting people, property and the environment.

     

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