The Vulcan Materials Company Foundation today announced a new grant initiative to support select Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in key areas of the Southeastern United States that are part of the Company’s nationwide footprint.
The $500,000 Foundation grant will provide participating HBCUs with:
- Scholarships and internships for students who win “pitch competitions,” to be judged by university leadership and members of Vulcan Materials’ Diversity & Inclusion Council;
- Opportunities for eligible students, nominated by their colleges, to design and recommend ways to make improvements in the arenas of innovation and infrastructure that businesses, higher education and government can support;
- Internships with Vulcan that may lead to full-time employment upon graduation;
- Enhanced facility spaces that turn traditional college work spaces into tech-friendly study halls.
Vulcan announced its new HBCU initiative at the close of the April 24th Houston meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Conference President Stephen Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, has focused on innovation, inclusion and infrastructure as hallmark issues for the Conference. Vulcan executives began discussions with Mayor Benjamin and other U.S. mayors and educators on these issues over the last year, which led to the development of this initiative.
“We are delighted and honored to begin this partnership with these key institutions of higher learning,” said Vulcan Materials Company Chairman and CEO Tom Hill. “Historically Black Colleges and Universities have been leadership laboratories in America for more than 150 years and their value as part of the fabric of American life has never been more important. Our Company is committed to creating new opportunities for rising young leaders, further building on our long-term diversity and inclusion and workforce development initiatives. This is vitally important to us, as is our commitment to superior safety and environmental performance and to supplying essential infrastructure materials used throughout the U.S. economy.”
Vulcan Materials Company (NYSE: VMC) is a member of the S&P 500 Index with headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. Vulcan is the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates – primarily crushed stone, sand and gravel – and a major producer of aggregates-based construction materials, including asphalt mix and ready-mixed concrete
