University Hospitals Teams with Design, Construction Firms to Award $61,000 to Students

CLEVELAND, Ohio — University Hospitals, together with Gilbane Building Company and Regency Construction Services, Inc., awarded $61,000 in scholarships to students in the ACE (Architecture, Construction and Engineering) Mentor Program. This is the second $50,000 scholarship award made from the health system's $200,000 donation to the ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland. Individual student scholarships were provided by Gilbane and Regency while Kent State University, Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University provided matching scholarship awards to senior students entering architecture and engineering programs next fall.

Mayor Frank G. Jackson gave the keynote address at the event, which took place at Windows on the River. “The ACE Mentor Program fits perfectly within our plan for education in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. It is not simply providing quality academics, but enhancing the overall experience and opportunities for our students. I commend the ACE volunteers for exposing the students to real world experiences and engaging them in our community,” said Mayor Jackson.

Students presented their final design projects to a crowd of more than 250 family members, fellow students, community leaders and local businesses. A special guest panel of industry professionals provided input into the presentations, including Terry Schwartz, director, Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative; Bob Brown, director of City Planning, city of Cleveland; Hunter Morison, director, YSU Urban Design Center and Aparna Bapu, The Rise Group.

Gilbane Building Company and University Hospitals are co-sponsors of the ACE program and brought it to Cleveland in 2008. “We are honored to support these students through the ACE program,” said Thomas Laird, Gilbane regional manager in Ohio and ACE Cleveland Board Chairman. “It's so important to encourage participation in the architecture, engineering and construction fields and it's been rewarding to see these students realize their goals.”

“Thanks to ACE, I feel I already have my foot in the door for my career in architecture. ACE has been the cornerstone for my future,” said Carlos Kostal, a John Hay senior and ACE scholarship winner who will be attending Kent State University's College of Architecture and Environmental Design in the fall.

Thirty-five local architecture, engineering and construction firms provided more than 50 volunteers to mentor the students throughout the school year. A selection of participating companies include Array Healthcare Facility Solutions, Architect; Barber & Hoffman, Structural Engineer; Chas E. Phipps Company, Material Supplier; Cleveland Educational Design Alliance, Architect; CT Consultants, Civil Engineer; Gilbane Building Company, Construction Manager; Herschman Architects, Architect; Michael Benza & Associates, Civil Engineer; PCS, Construction Manager; Regency Construction Services, Inc., Construction Manager; Stantec, Architect; Turner Construction Company, Construction Manager; URS, Architect/Engineer and VIP Restoration, Masonry Contractor.