IFMA Foundation to Award $66,000 in Scholarships at World Workplace 2009

Because supporting deserving students helps to ensure the quality of the built environment in a changing world, the IFMA Foundation will present $66,000 in scholarships to 27 facility management students during the World Workplace 2009 Conference & Expo, held Oct. 7-9 in Orlando, Fla.

Sixty-four graduate and undergraduate students representing 26 schools applied for the scholarships, which are awarded based on merit to students pursuing degrees in facility management or a related field. The scholarships range from $1,500 to $5,000 per student, and the winners also receive a free trip to World Workplace.

“IFMA Foundation scholarships are a critical means of bringing future facility managers together with the industry at World Workplace,” said Kathy O. Roper, CFM, MCR, LEED AP, IFMA Fellow, and associate professor and chair of integrated facility management at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Building Construction Program. “With four student scholarship winners, Georgia Tech is especially proud that two international and two U.S. students will be traveling to Orlando to receive their scholarships this year. It’s a real win-win for students and future employers, providing them with a chance to meet each other at our industry’s most important gathering.”

The scholarships will be awarded on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, across from the Orange County Convention Center. The event is open to anyone who would like to attend. Scholarships are being provided by several IFMA chapters and councils, as well by companies including Sodexo and Davies Office Refurbishing.

Since the IFMA Foundation began awarding scholarships to students in 1991, it has provided a total of 277 scholarships worth $742,750. For more information about the IFMA Foundation’s education, research and scholarship initiatives, visit www.ifmafoundation.org.

To learn more about World Workplace 2009 or for a complete list of details, visit www.worldworkplace.org. Members of the media interested in attending World Workplace may register at no cost on site at the Orange County Convention Center.

IFMA’s World Workplace Conference & Expo is an annual three-day educational and networking event focused on the future of the built environment. Building on the professional development opportunities available through the association year-round, the World Workplace experience includes a conference focused entirely on education and an exposition incorporating product demonstration and instruction. This year’s conference will be held Oct. 7-9, 2009, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit www.worldworkplace.org. To join and follow IFMA’s social media outlets online, visit the conference’s NETworkplace page.