NFPA Launches Education and Technology Foundation

The National Fluid Power Association (NFPA), Milwaukee, Wis., has launched the new NFPA Education and Technology Foundation to continue and extend its support of fluid power education and research activities. Building on programs successfully developed through NFPA's education fund, the new foundation will pursue initiatives that:

• Actively engage students at all grade levels in learning about fluid power;
• Encourage the development of new teaching resources • fluid power laboratories as well as online, print, and hands-on instruction tools;
• Support research in motion control through fluid power at the two-year, four-year, and graduate school levels; and
• Foster ongoing forums between educators and industry so that ideas and priorities of mutual interest can be shared and set.

“We will continue to support many critical programs through our education fund,” said Greg Willard, chairman of NFPA's education committee and president and CEO of Quality Control Corporation. “But we have recognized the need to dramatically increase the availability of funding. As we partner with schools and universities, we are seeing an ever-increasing number of teachers and researchers who are eager to begin or further develop work related to hydraulics and pneumatics.”

One measure of this growth is the number of schools and universities that have become educator members of NFPA. With only one such institution in 2000, today there are 34 schools engaged in research projects or teaching activities that are critically important to developing an informed workforce for fluid power. It is hoped that through donations to the new Education and Technology Foundation, a stable platform of support will be created for these schools and the dozens more that are likely to join.

The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation is applying for designation as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and has been separately incorporated from NFPA. Its seven-member Board of Directors is composed of NFPA board members and education committee chairmen. Marwan Kashkoush, chairman of the NFPA board of directors and corporate vice president for worldwide sales and marketing at Parker Hannifin Corporation, will serve as the foundation's first chairman of the board.

“NFPA announced the Foundation at our recent spring conference in Palm Springs and kicked it off with a $50,000 contribution, wishing to quickly establish a positive momentum for donations,” Kashkoush said. “I'm pleased to report that numerous other corporations and individuals have responded, all echoing support for our mission.”

Donations are currently being accepted at www.nfpa.com.