Fall 2009 - Florida Tech Today - Florida Institute of Technology

Ruth Funk
Funk Center Benefactor
Publishes Cloth and Culture
Ruth Funk, Florida Tech trustee and benefactor,
has published Cloth and Culture: Couture
Creations of Ruth E. Funk, published by Panache
Partners. A tribute to the textile arts, the volume
takes readers on a journey through the
couture creations Funk has made over the
last 25 years. Her art-to-wear designs are
depicted in more than 400 full-color images
in 280 pages.
World-renowned textile designer Jack
Lenor Larsen penned a scholarly foreword in
the book. In it he wrote, “Forget octogenarian;
think paragon. Ruth Funk, creator and
collector, stitches with one hand while shaking
the world with the other.”
A generous university donor since 2003,
Funk in 2006 announced a $1.25 million gift to the
university for a textile arts center. With additional
funds from the university, that gift has become the
Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts. Located between
Evans Library and the Botanical Garden, the center
opened on Aug. 29.
Since Funk first discovered the university, and
exhibited at the Dream Weavers textile arts display
on campus in 2003, she has given to the university.
And given and given.
The artist, teacher, therapist and international
collector first donated hundreds of items of kaleidoscopically
colored ethnic textiles and wearable art
from around the world, and jewelry and cultural artifacts
of artistic and historic value. She also enriched
the Evans Library’s holdings of art and design material
by almost 500 volumes.
Funk has inspired, led or supplied the raw material
for several events and programs. Her collection
has made possible a fashion show of wearable art and
exhibits in the former Funk Textiles Gallery.
She funds the annual textiles program,
Uncommon Threads, which brings to Florida Tech
international experts in the textile arts.
Funk’s generosity has made possible Florida
Tech’s first textile course as well as the annual Ruth
Funk Visiting Professor in Textiles.
For information about Funk’s book, contact
Carla Funk at (321) 674-6129 or e-mail
cfunk@fit.edu.
12
New Endowment Created
for Civil Engineering
Undergraduates
The department of civil engineering has
announced a new endowment, the Civil Alumni
Recruitment Endowment (CARE). The endowment,
which so far totals $29,000, will be
used to fund undergraduate scholarships
and graduate fellowships.
“We are grateful for the generous
contributions from more than 25
alumni and several faculty members
who have made this fund possible,”
said Ashok Pandit, professor and
head, department of civil engineering.
“Its purpose is to assist in
the recruitment and retention of Ashok Pandit
outstanding students in civil engineering.”
Florida Tech offers bachelor’s, master’s and
doctoral degrees in civil engineering. During the
2008–2009 academic year, 146 students were
enrolled. Civil engineering is a professional engineering
discipline that deals with the design, construction
and maintenance of the physical and naturally built
environment, including works such as bridges, roads,
canals, dams and buildings.
Fellowship Funded for
Environmental Problem-solver
The South Brevard Garden Clubs Association has
funded a one-time $1,000 fellowship for a graduate
student who “exemplifies the best and brightest for our
future and who believes in finding solutions to environmental
issues facing us now and in the future.”
The award will be made this fall to a student in
the department of marine and environmental systems
(DMES). The application process includes a 500-word
essay on the student’s career goals and on how the
applicant intends to assist in solving environmental
problems. A qualified candidate must have a minimum
grade point average of 3.0 and be pursuing a
master’s or doctoral degree in the fields of environmental
science, environmental resource management
or coastal zone management.