New Feldman endowment offers students $1K to do something extra when they study abroad

Spices in a market in Istanbul, Turkey, where civil engineering undergraduate Adriel Hsu spent a semester studying at Bogazici University (Photo: Adriel Hsu) Maimuna Jallow, a civil engineering junior, takes in the view in Interlaken, Switzerland, one of the many places in Europe she visited during her semester at Georgia Tech-Lorraine. (Photo Courtesy: Maimuna Jallow)
Civil engineering undergraduate Brittney Vidal stands in front of Stonehenge in England, one of the many sites she visited during her study abroad semester in London. Vidal said she realized she wanted to dedicate her career to structural engineering while lying in the grass and marveling at the famous stone structure. (Photo: Diana Chumak) Civil engineering undergrad Andrew Melissas diving during his semester studying abroad in Australia. (Photo Courtesy: Andrew Melissas)
Jim and Amy Feldman have created an endowment to help one student a year add something extra to their study abroad trip that they might not otherwise be able to do. These photos were taken by School of Civil and Environmental Engineering students who explored other parts of their destination country or pursued adventures while they studied abroad that illustrate the kind of cherry-on-the-top experiences the Feldmans have in mind. Clockwise from top right, spices in a market in Istanbul, Turkey; Maimuna Jallow silhouetted against the landscape in Interlaken, Switzerland; Andrew Melissas dives the Great Barrier Reef during his semester in Australia; and Brittney Vidal visits Stonehenge while taking classes in London. (Photos Courtesy: Adriel Hsu, Maimuna Jallow, Andrew Melissas, Brittney Vidal)
 

Jim Feldman never studied abroad when he was a student at Georgia Tech.

JAMES B. FELDMAN
STUDY ABROAD ENDOWMENT

Eligibility

  • Civil or environmental engineering students
  • Preference for students interested in construction industry careers
  • Already have a study abroad trip planned and funded

Funding Available

  • $1,000 awarded to one student per year
  • Funds must be used for non-academic experiences that enhance the study abroad trip

How to Apply
Complete application and submit to global@ce.gatech.edu.

More Details
http://ce.gatech.edu/feldman

Years later, all three of his children did, traveling to London, Australia and Germany, and they came back with great stories about all the things they were able to see and do as a result.

That experience — of a father hearing his children come back and tell him about the sights of London, Brisbane or Berlin — made Feldman want to help students at his alma mater enjoy the same opportunities.

“I started thinking, could I do something that might help somebody who otherwise wouldn't get to stay that extra week or wouldn't get to be able to take that train to Paris for the weekend?” Feldman said recently.

The James B. Feldman Study Abroad Endowment is the answer to that question. The fund will award $1,000 each year to one School of Civil and Environmental Engineering student starting in 2018 with the goal not of paying for airfare or other study abroad costs, but rather to provide money for the cherry-on-the-top experience.

Feldman said he wants the money to extend or enhance students’ study abroad experiences.

“I have this vision of students going abroad for the summer, and they get to … do something totally non-academic that they get something out of,” said Feldman, who graduated with his civil engineering degree in 1977.

James B. Feldman, principal-development services at Regent Partners in Atlanta and a 1977 civil engineering graduate. Feldman and his wife have created a new study abroad fund to helps students pay for experiences that enhance or extend their study abroad trips.
Feldman

He and his wife, Amy, set up the fund to give preference to students interested in careers in construction — a nod to the construction business his father owned in New York.

Feldman came to Tech to get an engineering degree so he could work in that industry, but after a decade doing structural engineering work, he shifted to real estate development. He said that keeps him involved in overseeing construction projects. Now he’s principal – development services at Regent Partners in Atlanta, where he’s worked for more than two decades. His projects stretch across the Southeast, are usually mixed-use developments, and include well-known Atlanta landmarks like Tower Place in Buckhead.

Feldman has been involved at Tech since he graduated, but most often with his fraternity. He said he decided a few years ago the time was right to give back some other way, and he wanted to do something that would have meaning for civil and environmental engineering students.

“Tech has always meant a lot to me,” he said. “I think it's a special place. It's a different place. I give Tech a lot of credit for whatever mild success I've had in my industry.”