Terracon Foundation Awards $50,000 Endowment to University of South Florida

TAMPA, Fla. – The Terracon Foundation announced a $50,000 endowment to University of South Florida (USF) that will be used to support scholarships for first-generation students interested in civil engineering.

“Beyond setting up this endowed scholarship, we hope to have a relationship with the incoming students within the USF College of Engineering who win the scholarship as they move through their bachelor’s degree program,” said James Nesbitt, P.E., operations manager serving in Terracon’s Tampa office. “Similar to the Terracon Student and Faculty Fellowship that supports doctoral students and faculty in structural and geotechnical engineering that we established in 2025, we look to this endowed scholarship for incoming students as another way to advance the collaboration between academia and industry.”

“The Terracon Foundation is one of my favorite things about Terracon. It gives employee-owners the opportunity to invest in the communities that have invested in us, whether through local schools, nonprofit organizations, or initiatives that help make our communities stronger for future generations,” Patricia Mitchell, CPSM, marketing manager for Terracon’s Florida division.

“James Nesbitt truly was the champion of this effort,” said Grace Maseda-Sainz, director of affinity programs in USF Advancement. “As someone who benefited from scholarships while earning his degree, he understands firsthand how transformational that support can be. Now he’s helping open those same doors for others.” USF recently posted Nesbitt’s story. 

University of South Florida

Founded in 1956, USF is a major public research university serving nearly 50,000 students across the main campus in Tampa and branch campus in St. Petersburg. In 2025, U.S. News & World Report recognized USF with its highest overall ranking in university history, as a top 50 public university for the seventh consecutive year and as one of the top 15 best values among all public universities in the nation.

Terracon Foundation

The Terracon Foundation was created with the goal to play a meaningful part in the lives of Terracon employees and the communities where they live and work. Established as the community investment arm of Terracon, the foundation has granted nearly $6 million to community organizations, universities, scholarships for dependents of employees, and disaster relief efforts.

About Terracon

Terracon is an employee-owned, multidiscipline consulting firm comprised of more than 8,000 curious minds focused on solving engineering and technical challenges from more than 200 locations nationwide.