UF's Rinker School receives $100,000 gift

May 15, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The UF South Florida BCN Alumni Club presented a $100,000 check to the M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction at the school’s 70th Anniversary Banquet and Fundraiser May 9. The gift will help fund the school’s 70th Anniversary Endowed Faculty Support Fund to provide for new faculty members.

“The generosity demonstrated by the South Florida BCN Alumni Club is a testament to the dedication our alumni and friends have for the Rinker School,” said Rinker School Director and professor Abdol Chini. “We are very appreciative of the confidence they have shown the Rinker School through this gift.”

The banquet, hosted by the UF South Florida BCN Alumni Club, drew 640 people to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino including South Florida construction magnates Jim Cummings, Steve Palmer, Chip Reid, Ray Southern and Dan Whiteman. Rick Derrer, chair of the organizing committee, delivered the night’s opening remarks.

More than $170,000 has been raised by Florida building construction alumni clubs since the campaign began in the fall of 2005. The UF Tampa Bay BCN Gator Club and the Gainesville / Ocala Alumni Club have also held highly successful fundraising events for the Rinker School.

Contributions to the Rinker School’s 70th Anniversary Endowed Faculty Support Fund are eligible for a 50 percent match from the state and will provide a steady and reliable stream to fund new faculty.