A record number of requests were submitted to the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation's (MCERF) Funding Educational Excellence (FEE) program this year. Sixty-five companies applied for Student Internship Grants, compared to 38 last year. The grants help companies cover the salaries of student interns they hire for the summer. Fifteen student chapters applied for 2007 Chapter of Excellence Grants, almost twice the number that applied in 2007. Student chapters that are well-established and thriving, but could use some extra financial help to support a special project or travel to the MCAA convention and/or the Student Chapter Summit are eligible to apply for that grant. This year, five student chapters submitted applications for the Emerging Chapter Grant. Chapters that are newly chartered or struggling to regain their footing are eligible for that grant; the amount is $3,000 for each grant. For both grants, half the proceeds must be allocated to scholarships for the students, the number and amount of which are determined by the student chapter's faculty advisor. The grants are funded by the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation under its Funding Educational Excellence (FEE) initiative. MCAA's Career Development Committee reviews the grant applications and selects the recipients. That process will occur on May 21 at the committee's spring meeting in Kansas City, MO.

For more information about MCAA's student chapter program, please contact Ann Mattheis at amattheis@mcaa.org.