Scholarships

Nancy and Bob Bolt of Tampa, Florida, have established a scholarship in memory of their son, Andy Jones, who received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1988. An avid Hokie and lover of Blacksburg, he was also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Phi Delta Theta fraternity.  He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Houston in 1993.

As a mechanical engineer for Shell Oil Company in Houston, Andy began his career at the Deer Park Refinery.  While working at Shell for more than 25 years, Andy’s many promotions at Shell included the position of Global Engineering and Maintenance Services Team Leader, where he was responsible for projects at 28 worldwide manufacturing plants with an annual budget of more than $2 billion. At the time of his death in 2013, at the age of 47, Andy was the Cost Leadership Manager at Deer Park Refinery, one of the largest refineries in the U.S.  There he found creative ways of reducing costs while balancing the interests of both Shell and its outside vendors. According to a co-worker, Andy’s gift for finding savings was legendary.

Andy was a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Center for Construction Education Research, a national organization for curricula development, craft training, and certification. He was also Chairman of the Houston Business Roundtable, an industrial association of construction users that promotes safe and cost-effective design, procurement, construction, and maintenance practices.

Andy was extraordinarily responsible, self-disciplined, generous, and passionate about helping people less fortunate than himself. It is in the spirit of remembering Andy’s work ethic, his nature of helping others, and his appreciation of what Virginia Tech gave him, that his parents have set up a scholarship in his name providing for an annual award of $14,000 payable semi-annually. The award is divided between two students annually.

All Mechanical Engineering scholarships are awarded based on the application process administered by the College of Engineering and align with a donor’s scholarship criteria.

SCHOLARSHIP CRITERIA

Recipients shall be undergraduates majoring in Mechanical Engineering having:

• Demonstrated a financial need
• Attended Virginia Tech for at least one complete academic year
• Attained academic standing in the upper half of his or her class
• Been identified by the Mechanical Engineering Department as possessing some or all of the qualities demonstrated by Andy during his short, purpose-filled life.

If you would like to make a donation to the Andy Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund, please click the link below. After entering your gift amount, choose “College of Engineering” as the area the gift will benefit; then, choose “In memory of” and finally, add “Andy Jones Memorial Scholarship.”