At the end of each year, usually during the Guest Speaker Dinner in October, the PVF Roundtable presents colleges and trade schools with oversized check scholarship donations to directors and chancellors of said institutions. 

We are delighted to report that the PVF Roundtable Charitable Foundation has provided more than $2 million in scholarship funds to the following schools: A&M University, University of Houston, Houston Community College, Lee College, ABC Pelican, Del Mar College, San Jacinto College and Lamar Institute. 

In February, a representative from each school presented the PVF Roundtable board of directors with a breakdown of the 2022 donated funds distributed in 2023 to show the impact the PVF Roundtable helped make on student lives. Each school reported assisting an average of 43 to 56 students and discovered unique insights in enrollment studies and post-graduate surveys. 

•  A&M University reported interesting statistics regarding job placement after graduation of PVF scholarship recipients: out of 96 responses, 67 students have a job offer or are currently employed since graduation. Focusing specifically on undergraduate degrees in industrial distribution, A&M reported 79 percent male students and 17 percent female students. 

In addition, 37 percent of graduates in this field ended up in sales, while 9 percent are in supply chain and 3 percent are in manufacturing. 

•  The University of Houston provided 56 students with scholarships, all to industrial engineering majors; it plans to increase this number by 12 to 15 students for next year. In 2023, the College of Engineering and College of Technology merged, helping U of H jump 21 positions from 91 to 70 in only one year, according to the latest US News and World Report rankings. 

•  Houston Community College gave 43 students a scholarship in the following fields: machining, manufacturing, welding and pipefitting. HCC also conducted a study to determine the main reasons students are leaving college: 52 percent because of financial issues such as lack of funds, personal bills and debt; and 44 percent because of financial aid problems such as tuition being too expensive and insufficient economic aid. 

•  Lee College awarded 43 scholarships, with 12 of those students returning from receiving a PVF Roundtable scholarship last year! Lee College has increased its community involvement to recruit more students and has started to offer weekend welding classes to fit the needs of students who are currently employed.

•   ABC Pelican awarded 46 scholarships to students in welding, instrumentation and pipefitting. It has implemented a new Pipefitting Pilot Program: 20 weeks of hands-on coursework with limited classroom time. Pipefitting training includes Oxyfuel cutting, measuring, cutting, rolling offsets, fitting equipment and pumps, flange makeup, preparing and conducting hydrostatic testing.

•   Del Mar College provided scholarships to students enrolled in machining, millwright, nondestructive testing, industrial instrumentation, process technology and welding. Del Mar reports that 46 percent of students are the first in their families to attend college, 84 percent are low- to middle-income, and 57 percent work while attending college. 

•  San Jacinto College focused its scholarship donations on inspection technologies, instrumentation, pipefitting and welding technology students. San Jac reported plans to hand out 80 scholarships next year (40 each semester) and focus on students in pipe, valves and fittings technology.

•  Lamar Institute awarded 52 students with a scholarship, all studying instrumentation, process operating and welding. Lamar’s studies found that 94 percent of their students find a career after graduation. 

The Impact of Giving 

How has the PVF Roundtable affected these students’ lives?

Scholarship recipients tend to persist at notably higher rates than the overall average. Students receiving scholarships have an average grade point average nearly half of a point higher than the college-wide average. In addition, students receiving scholarships are more than twice as likely to move toward completion of their education. 

Many students state that donors giving scholarships are the motivational push that fuels their internal inspiration to succeed and eventually pay-it-forward. On behalf of the entire PVF Roundtable board, we extend our heartfelt gratitude. Thank you for your invaluable contributions in helping us shape the future leaders of our industry. 

Your generous donations not only motivate and inspire students, but also drive us to pursue positive change and create opportunities. We are deeply appreciative of the collective efforts of every member company, volunteer, golf team, fishing team and clay shoot team for making this happen. Your dedication to and support of the PVF Roundtable makes all this possible, one scholarship at a time.

Interested in more information about becoming a member of the PVF Roundtable or how you can get involved with the PVF Young Professionals? Go to www.pvf.org or email Krystal@pvf.org. 

Krystal Hatfield is the chief marketing officer of OK Pipe & Fittings and the media/marketing chair on the PVF board of directors.