Fort Hays State University alumni Dave and Cathy Van Doren have enriched their lives traveling the world. To help FHSU students do the same, the couple has established a scholarship to cover airfare costs for students interested in studying abroad.
Growing up in western Kansas with a father who worked in construction, Dave studied pre-engineering and geology at Fort Hays State. After graduating and establishing his first business, Precast Concrete Construction, Dave recognized how difficult it was to transport ready-made concrete to remote areas. Determined to provide a solution, he created a unique, lightweight, steel, reinforced modular panel system, Waffle-Crete.
His patented Waffle-Crete system reduces the weight of concrete panels, making construction easier and faster. The product’s success led Dave to build housing in developing or impoverished countries worldwide.
Traveling and working abroad led the couple to host exchange students from other countries and gave them an appreciation for the richness and diversity of people and cultures. As a development officer at the FHSU Foundation, Cathy witnessed a growing interest in the university’s study abroad program. This inspired the couple to establish a scholarship to encourage more students to apply and experience traveling abroad.
The Dave and Cathy Van Doren Study Abroad Travel Fund covers airfare costs for full-time undergraduate or graduate students participating in summer or semester-long experiences overseas. The couple understands that the cost of airfare can discourage students from traveling abroad, and they are pleased to remove that barrier.
FHSU students from eight states and eight countries participated in a study abroad program this past year. Students can transfer credits to Fort Hays State while immersing themselves in their exchange country’s culture, food, and language.
Financial assistance, like the scholarship established by Dave and Cathy Van Doren, makes studying abroad while experiencing life in another country as stress-free as possible. With partnerships worldwide, FHSU students can travel abroad while earning a degree. FHSU students seeking additional information about studying abroad can visit fhsu.edu/studyabroad or call 785-628-4176.
Support students studying abroad through the Fort Hays State University Foundation by visiting foundation.fhsu.edu/donate, calling 785-628-5620, or by mail to PO Box 1060, Hays, KS 67601, with a check addressed to the FHSU Foundation and “Study Abroad” listed in the memo line.