College of the Mainland to Commemorate Its Largest Single Donation Ever from Eva Rowe's BP Texas City Explosion Settlement

Funds Will Establish New Occupational Safety Curriculum and Scholarships

Texas City, Texas - April 17, 2007 - The College of the Mainland will commemorate the bequest of $5 million on Thursday, April 19, 2007 - the largest single donation the school has ever received - from Eva Rowe as part of the settlement of her lawsuit against BP for the Texas City oil refinery explosion in 2005.

Ms. Rowe, whose parents were among the 15 workers killed in the BP refinery explosion, will headline an 11:30am press conference scheduled at the College of the Mainland Administration Building lobby, 1200 Amburn Rd., Texas City, TX. A luncheon for guests and members of the media will be held immediately following the press conference in the President's Boardroom.

In attendance will be Dr. Homer "Butch" Hayes, PhD, president of the College of the Mainland; Dr. Jeffrey Oakley, director of the College of the Mainland's new occupational safety and health program; Donald Parsley, president of the College of the Mainland Foundation; William Raley, associate vice president for industrial education; Ms. Rowe; and attorney Brent Coon, of Brent Coon & Associates.

The $5 million donation, to be used for the college's new occupational safety and health education program, is part of the settlement reached by Ms. Rowe and her attorney, Mr. Coon, in November 2006. The settlement mandated that $30 million in charitable donations be made to three foundations, and that $1 million each be donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital and to create a college scholarship foundation for the Hornbeck, Louisiana school district.

In addition, BP agreed to match up to $2 million for any donation made through June 30, 2007 to the College of the Mainland Foundation's, Memorial Scholarship for the 15 Victims of the 2005 Incident. Donations and the matching funds from BP will used to create scholarships for the college's current and future students.

"We are honored that Eva Rowe included College of the Mainland as a part of her settlement from BP. This is the largest single donor gift the college has ever received," declared Dr. Hayes, PhD, the college's president. "For College of the Mainland and the communities of southeast Texas, it is very exciting to have scholarship money to offer students. Furthermore, our new occupational safety program is an excellent and exciting addition to the college's offerings of education and training; indeed, the program will allow for our students to seamlessly transfer to other institutions. This will be an important program for the community, both from the perspective of dealing with safety issues in our area businesses and in providing career opportunities for our students."

Ms. Rowe said, "I have always believed in the importance of education. I'm pleased that the College of the Mainland will use these funds to create a new program to provide critical education and training for safety professionals in our community, and scholarships to those students most in need of financial support."

College of the Mainland's occupational safety and health program, headed by Dr. Oakley, will provide trained specialists to the petroleum, chemical, aerospace, shipping, construction and hospitality industries throughout the Houston-Beaumont-Galveston corridor. This program should fill a major need for quality occupational safety professionals that has been created by the area's growth of both new businesses and expansion of existing businesses.

"The curriculum is designed to meet the qualification requirements of the Certified Safety Profession (CSP) exam. Students will gain thorough knowledge of OSHA rules and regulations, and have the training to identify and control occupational risks," stated Dr. Oakley. "We will also evaluate the benefit of qualifying for the American Board of Engineering Technologies (ABET) accreditation."

Mr. Parsley, president of the College of the Mainland Foundation, added, "The matching funds grant is an excellent opportunity for people to help create scholarships that will allow both current and prospective students to further their education."

The College of the Mainland, a comprehensive community college, is an accessible, affordable learner-centered institution dedicated to student success serving the mainland area of Galveston County and beyond. College of the Mainland will be a valued and vital community partner striving to enrich our expanding community and prepare our students to live and work in a diverse and global environment. College of the Mainland is committed to core values that we consider equal in importance and indispensable to our vision and mission. These values guide our decisions and define the relationships we strive to maintain with our students, employees and community.

The College of the Mainland Foundation was established in 1972 as the fund raising arm of the college, and as a separate 501(C)(3) tax exempt organization to provide funding for student and college needs not covered by tuition and tax revenues. Contributors to the Foundation come from every walk of life. Donors are individuals, large corporations, family owned businesses, civic organizations, and charitable foundations. "A Strong Foundation Building Success for Tomorrow - No Student shall be denied based on color, creed, gender, age or religion."

Gulf Coast Safety Institute

• GCSI Home
• Certificate & Degree Programs
• Risk Management Institute
• Continuing Education Classes & Seminars (OSHA)
• Custom Courses & Training
• Outreach Programs
• History of the Grant
• Links to ESH Resources
• Safety and Health Jobs
• Sponsors and Donations
• Map / Directions to GCSI

GCSI News & Announcements

• The Gulf Coast Safety Institute now offers OSHA 10 and 30-hour classes.
• GCSI is offering fire extinguisher training using our training simulator.
• Do you have any extra equipment? We are in need of donated safety equipment for our "hands on training facility".
• If your company is in need of any custom contract safety training. Give GCSI a call, we have the facility and expertise to help you out either at our site or yours.

Faculty and Staff