Trine gifted $1 million
By Ashley Sloboda | The Journal Gazette
Undergraduate students at Trine University will have more scholarship opportunities thanks to a $1 million gift from an alumnus and his wife.
The donation establishes the Larry & Judy Reiners Endowed Scholarship Fund. Its earnings will annually provide scholarships for six students, the Angola-based university announced Tuesday. Scholarships will be renewable for up to four years.
“The support of friends and alumni like Larry and Judy Reiners is a vital part of students receiving a quality, career-focused education at Trine University,” President Earl D. Brooks II said in a statement. “Trine University provided more than $31 million in institutional assistance last year thanks to the generosity of people like the (Reinerses) who are committed to keeping tuition costs in reach for students and families.”
A 1965 civil engineering graduate, Larry Reiners has more than 50 years' experience in engineering design, project management, construction management, manufacturing management and corporate management with firms in the chemical, petrochemical, refining, gas processing and related processing industries, according to Trine.
In a statement, Larry Reiners credited his success to his education at Trine, which was then known as Tri-State College.
“It's a privilege to give back in order to allow future generations of Trine University students the opportunity to get the training and preparation they need to succeed, lead and serve,” said Reiners, a university trustee since 2009.
He and his wife are longtime Trine supporters.
The university in 2009 dedicated the Reiners Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in honor of their commitment, support and $1.5 million gift to the department, according to Trine.
Their other contributions benefited construction of the Larry & Judy Reiners Residence Hall as well as the Thunder Ice Arena and MTI Center, where the lobby and hospitality suite, respectively, are named in their honor, the university said. They also have supported Trine through the Fawick Hall master plan and such capital campaigns as Invest in Excellence, which launched in 2013, Trine said.
Invest in Excellence looks to increase support for the Trine Fund for scholarships and operations, the university endowment, and capital projects. Trine reports it has raised more than $102 million, or 82 percent of the $125 million goal.
