INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION AWARDS
$100,000 TO UH ENERGY PROGRAM
Grant Will Fund GEM Track’s Scholarships, Internships, Curriculum,
Marketing Efforts
HOUSTON, March 29, 2004 – The University of Houston’s
Global Energy Management Institute (UH-GEMI) has received a $100,000
grant that will support its efforts to supply the oil and gas industry
with specially trained graduates.
UH’s Global Energy Management Undergraduate Honors Program
(GEM Track) has been presented with the George and Barbara Bush
Excellence in Education Award from the Independent Petroleum Association
of America’s (IPAA) Educational Foundation. The grant will
support scholarships, internships, curriculum development and marketing
efforts for a two-year period.
“Bauer College of Business created the GEM Track to supply
the graying oil and gas industry with a new pool of talent. The
innovative program blends technical and business curricula so that
students are prepared to tackle all aspects of the energy sector,”
said Lane Sloan, UH-GEMI executive director. “Through the
generosity of the IPAA, we will expand GEM Track and provide a great
conduit for graduates seeking employment in the energy sector.”
Currently there are seven students in the GEM Track. The curriculum
consists of more rigorous math, economics, natural science, accounting
and energy finance requirements than what is required of a typical
student. Sloan hopes to more than double the program’s enrollment
by Fall 2005.
“The IPAA Educational Foundation is proud to support programs
that encourage students to learn about energy issues,” said
John B. Walker, IPAA Chairman and president and CEO of EnerVest
Management Partners, Ltd.
“Our nation’s oil and gas industry is facing a major
workforce challenge in the coming years. Too few young people are
entering our industry, as a majority of current workers plan for
retirement. The GEM Track program is an ambitious attempt to tackle
some of these challenges, and IPAA is proud to recognize the university,
and particularly this education program, for its dedication to the
study of energy.”
The George and Barbara Bush Excellence in Education Award was established
by the IPAA Educational Foundation at the 1997 Wildcatters’
Ball, an annual oil and natural gas industry-funded event held in
Houston in February. Past recipients of the award include: YES College
Preparatory School, Spring Branch Family Development Center, Small
Steps Nurturing Center, Be An Angel Fund, Project Grad and the Offshore
Energy Center. The IPAA Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization.
For more information about the GEM Track, go to http://www.bauer.uh.edu/fina/bba-gem.htm.
About the IPAA
IPAA member companies drill 85 percent of the oil and natural
gas wells in the United States and account for 75 percent of the
nation's total natural gas supply and 60 percent of America's domestic
crude oil production (in the lower-48 states). For more information,
visit http://www.ipaa.org/.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit
the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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