Funding the education of tomorrow’s leaders has proven to be a worthwhile investment to ensure a future pipeline of engineering and construction management professionals are equipped to meet the transportation needs of Kentucky today and well into the future. Recently, more than 180 former and current civil engineering scholarship recipients gathered in Frankfort to celebrate a 75-year signature program.
More than 2,000 students have received $19.4 million from the Civil Engineering Scholarship Program since it began in 1948. Decades later, the program expanded to include the Civil Engineering Technology Scholarship, and earlier this year, Gov. Beshear announced the Construction Management Scholarship. The two additional scholarships have collectively funded 84 students’ education with $661,000 in awards. All scholarship recipients receive tuition stipends, hands-on experience during higher education, and guaranteed full-time employment after graduation.
“This scholarship program builds on two Team Kentucky priorities that will make our commonwealth better: education and transportation,” said Gov. Beshear. “It’s been incredible to see the talented leaders who have come through this program and continue to make a difference in Kentucky, from road and bridge projects to disaster response and more.”
Administered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the program has proven to be an effective recruitment tool and launch pad for successful engineering careers. During the event, Charles Briggs was honored as the longest active KYTC scholarship recipient, who first received a scholarship in 1961 while studying at the University of Kentucky. Briggs currently serves as an engineer in the Division of Maintenance.
Reflecting on the scholarship program, Briggs said, “I probably would not have been able to afford to go to college to get my degree without it. It was the start of everything.”
Former scholarship recipients have held top management positions at KYTC, including multiple state highway engineers, chief district engineers, and branch managers.
“Programs like this are uncommon across the nation and I’m proud Kentucky has prioritized funding the education of promising students who just need a hand up to help them enter the field,” said KYTC Secretary Gray. “Whether recipients become career employees or eventually work in the private sector, the foundational experience they gain at KYTC pays dividends in equipping a workforce of public servants who keep Kentuckians safe.”
For more information about these scholarships and other educational opportunities, please visit transportation.ky.gov or call 502-564-3730.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet