An estimated $10 Million has been distributed in scholarships and program support since 1947. The programs provided to the Accredited colleges and universities are producing excellent results; even in a recent ten year analysis, the average shows 76% of the scholarship recipients begin working in the metal casting industry right after graduation. With a long record of effectiveness, impact and accountability, FEF continues to carry out its mission of “helping today’s students become tomorrow’s leaders.”

FEF remains vital and strong due to the involvement of its volunteers; well-known industry leaders who recognize the significance of the Foundation. Many of these volunteers are serving in leadership roles for the Endowment Campaign.  Past FEF Board Presidents, Doug Warner, Dwight Barnhard and Robert Smillie, have joined forces to serve as the Campaign’s top leadership team.  Others on the official Campaign Cabinet include Dana Coulombe, Jerry Clancey, Chuck Fowler, Phil Duke, Bill Barrett, Tom Cobett, Paul Mikkola, Bill Powell , Jim Frost, and Professors Scott Layman and Russ Rosmait.

Currently, 42 elected industry leaders from North America serve on the FEF Board of Directors, along with 10 Past FEF Board Presidents.  More than 55% of current Board members were FEF students.  They rose through the ranks of their peers and stayed with FEF to pass on to new generations the same benefits they received and to ensure the strength of metal casting education far into the future.  FEF maintains a small two-person staff with Bill Sorensen serving as the Executive Director since 1983.

Today FEF and the Cast Metal Industry are faced with remarkable challenges:

1.  Attracting Students to the Industry:  Scholarship awards have not kept up with the escalating tuition and fees at college campuses.  Between 1981 and 2006, average public post secondary schools’ tuition and fees grew by 571% while FEF's scholarships increased by 301%. Consequently, by 2007, they covered only 2/3 of the costs they had covered in 1981. 

2.  Key Professors and Up-to-date Labs:  Outfitting educational labs with the best equipment and technology will not only result in capable students, but will hopefully entice some of the those students to remain in academia to become future Key Professors. According to Bob Smillie, (Campaign Co-Chair, former FEF student, Past Board President and Walsh Award winner), “Key Professors are the front-line contact with the students.  They are responsible for making metal casting exciting, engaging students with hands-on experiences and helping them secure practical work experience through internships. They are also FEF’s direct link to university administrators to underscore the importance of metal casting education.  Without the Key Professors, many universities will cut their metal casting programs which would be detrimental to our industry.”

3.  Increasing Workforce Gap: A survey conducted by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) shows that the skilled workforce gap is growing exponentially as workers age 65+ retire and as smaller numbers of 18 to 24 year olds enter the workforce.  This increasing gap is alarming since NAM identifies “high performance workers” as the most important driver of future business success. 

4.  Changing Workforce Needs: The foundries viable today are in large part because they invested in high-performance employees and put innovation first.  FEF is the single most effective organization in North America committed to developing high performance employees and moving them into the metal casting industry. According to Dwight Barnhard, (Past Board President, Walsh Award winner and Campaign Co-Chair), “What’s needed to compete with the rest of the world?  People and technology—both of which are significantly improved by investing in education; thereby ensuring that our students are highly skilled and capable as they enter the workforce.” 

5.  Contributions insufficient to meet increasing program costs: FEF must grow its capital base while simultaneously meeting increasing scholarship award and discretionary grant expenses. It is paramount that FEF’s programs and services be strengthened to help fortify metal casting’s continued health and viability. “Casting Our Future NOW”

FEF’s vision for the future is (1) to increase the impact of individual scholarship awards, (2) to better meet the employment gap and workforce demand for technically-trained employees and (3) to ensure the financial future of FEF.

“The metal casting industry is strong, competitive and foundational to our way of life—improving society every day,” says Doug Warner, (Past Treasurer, FEF Board President, Walsh Award winner and Honorary Campaign Chair).  “To remain competitive, our industry needs to make a significant investment in the education of our students.” 

Warner adds “The need for this campaign is long overdue. Investing in the FEF Endowment Campaign is important to our future and to our ability to continue on as a healthy industry.”

FEF is seeking contributions from individual donors, corporations and foundations. There are many ways to support the Endowment Campaign:  Gifts in the form of cash or check, a signed letter of commitment or pledge of up to 3 years, publicly traded securities (stock), real property (land or buildings) or outright irrevocable gifts of life insurance.

FEF also offers several ways in which your gift can commemorate the life of a loved one or friend, or recognize your business or organization. 

To find out the most up-to-date progress, or for more information, go to FEF’s website, www.fefinc.org or contact the FEF office at 847-490-9200.