Steel Mills

SDI Foundation Pledges $1.5 Million to Trine University

Written by Sandy Williams


The Steel Dynamics Foundation has pledged $1.5 million to Trine University in Angola, Ind., to be used toward the expansion of the university’s engineering facilities. The new 40,000-square-foot expansion will be named the Steel Dynamics Inc. Center for Engineering and Computing.

“The continual growth of our business requires a ready supply of well-trained engineers, and many who have contributed to the success of Steel Dynamics have come from Trine University,” said Mark Millett, president and CEO of Steel Dynamics Inc. “We are pleased to support this expansion in Trine’s facilities and programs, and look forward to the benefit this will provide, not only to SDI, but to industry throughout the region.”

The $12.5 million project includes advanced technology, flexible labs and classrooms, and an active learning lab to foster creativity. Enrollment at Trine’s Allen School of Engineering and Computing has risen 72% in the past 10 years with engineering students accounting for more than 40% of the main campus population. The expansion will prepare students for careers in high tech areas such as hardware and software development, computer networking, cybersecurity and health informatics.

Steel Dynamics has been a long time supporter of Trine University through the SDI Foundation, providing major gifts toward the SDI/Keith E. Busse Athletic and Recreation Center and Thunder Ice Arena, as well as funding scholarships for Trine students. Students from the university have been welcomed by SDI for internship, co-op and employment opportunities.

The Steel Dynamics Foundation, Inc., awards grants to nonprofits in communities in which its employees live and work, prioritizing higher education, economic and community development, and human services.

“We believe a better-educated workforce creates a stronger economy with higher living standards and more opportunities for everyone to benefit from it, including those less fortunate,” states the foundation on its website.

“We are grateful for the SDI Foundation’s history of support and are eager to see the dividends this new investment in Trine University will pay for the greater Fort Wayne area, the state of Indiana, and the Midwest as a whole,” said Earl D. Brooks II, Trine University president.

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