May 31, 2000
BIRMINGHAM, AL — The UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Industrial Distribution Program has named the 2000-2001 recipients of the Jackson Endowed Scholarship, Catherine Muriithi and Brian Hood.
The UAB Industrial Distribution Program, a joint degree program between the schools of business and engineering, prepares men and women for sales, marketing, operations and mid-management positions with manufacturers, contractors, wholesalers, industrial distributors and many other end users of industrial products. Industrial distribution, the business that moves goods from producers to retailers and other end users, is a $3.5 trillion a year business in this country and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Muriithi, currently a junior, chose Industrial Distribution as her major due to her interest in both business and engineering. She first enrolled at UAB in 1997 after arriving in the United States from her home country of Kenya. According to Muriithi, studying in the American educational system has been an exciting transition and she hopes to extend her expertise in the areas of distribution and commerce to the existing system Kenya.
Hood, currently a senior, transferred to UAB in the fall of 1999. He has achieved Presidential Honors or been named to the Dean’s List every quarter since his enrollment at UAB. Hood said he chose UAB specifically due to the ID program and the job opportunities for graduates.
The Jackson Endowed Scholarship awards $1500 annually to outstanding students in the Industrial Distribution Program. It was established by a gift from Kenneth L. Jackson, a UAB alumni and president of Dudley C. Jackson Inc.
The UAB Industrial Distribution Program began in 1990 with just five students and has grown to more than 150 majors. To date, 175 students have graduated; about 20 percent minorities and women. In a 16-state area from Virginia to New Mexico, only UAB and Texas A&M have degree-granting ID programs in accredited schools of business and engineering. Distribution is responsible for one in seven jobs in the Southeast.