$2 million gift to fund program with focus on building crafts

January 11, 2005

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With 80 percent of most construction work performed by subcontractors, it would seem reasonable to assume that general contractors and construction managers have a good background of the craftwork performed. Well, this is not always the case, so Gainesville-based Charles Perry Construction CEO Charles Perry is helping UF’s M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction students get that valuable knowledge.

Charles has committed $2 million to the Rinker School of the College of Design, Construction and Planning to fund the Charles R. Perry Program for Crafts Awareness and to build an addition onto the existing Rinker Hall on UF’s campus to house the program.

Master craftsmen representing building trades such as plumbing, carpentry, masonry, electrical and welding will be recruited to explain their trades and demonstrate what to look for when assessing quality. The program will become part of the Rinker School’s permanent curriculum.

“This program is a significant development in building construction education and we expect it to be a national, even international model,” said Jay M. Stein, Dean of the College of Design, Construction and Planning. “It is only made possible through the generosity of Chuck who continues to be a generous supporter of our college and the University of Florida.”

“The program comprises a hands-on approach to expose our students to the training, techniques and materials used by master craftspeople in 16 different construction trades,” said Abdol R. Chini, director of the Rinker School. “There is a clear deficiency in students knowing how the craftspeople are trained, their skill levels and the quality of their workmanship. The objective is not to teach the crafts, but rather to give our students a working knowledge of the difference between good quality and bad quality in construction practices and the productivity they can expect from these craftspeople.”

Chuck Perry, who opened his construction business in 1968, has always sought to improve the education of construction managers to help shape the quality of construction nationwide.

“This is a much needed program for those going into the construction management field,” says Perry. “I see the problems daily that arise from construction managers not having a working understanding of what’s behind the construction trades.”

The facility to be designed will be outside Rinker Hall and will feature a roof covering an exposed area to allow for proper ventilation, but still have the feel of a construction site. Though construction of this outdoor “construction yard” may be more than a year away, Chini says the program will become part of the Rinker School curriculum beginning with the fall 2005 semester.

In addition, the Perry gift will fund a public art project to develop a work of art to be displayed in or near Rinker Hall. The art will be named the Charles and Nancy Perry Public Art Display in honor of the Perrys and their commitment to the fine arts.

Stein commented, “I look forward to appointing an art selection committee to commission a sculpture that will use the concrete medium consistent with the traditions of the Rinker School of Building Construction.”

The $2 million gift will be eligible for state matching funds in the amount of $1.6 million.

UF’s College of Design, Construction and Planning is one of the largest and most comprehensive design colleges in the nation, combining under one college the disciplines of architecture, building construction, interior design, landscape architecture and urban and regional planning. The M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction is the oldest continuing program in building construction in the United States.