Air Products Foundation Grant Provides Scholarships for
Minority and Female Communication Studies Students at Kutztown University
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – December 17, 2020 – Kutztown University is one of three local colleges to receive scholarship funds from the Air Products Foundation. This grant award, totaling $50,000, will provide 10 scholarships for minority or female students from three local colleges.
"Air Products and Kutztown University have a long-standing relationship, and as an alumna, I know their programs are top-notch. So many qualified female and minority students just need a leg up to compete. When they succeed, our community succeeds," said Rachel Roland '89, Manager of Employee Communications, Americas at Air Products.
KU will receive two scholarships for Communication Studies majors. Muhlenberg College and DeSales University will each receive four scholarships for accounting majors and computer science majors, respectively.
“We are grateful to the Air Products Foundation for their generosity and their long-standing commitment to higher education, ” said Alex Ogeka, Executive Director of the Kutztown University Foundation. “This type of support is truly transformational for a young person with a dream of earning a degree.”
" One of Air Products' core values is a commitment to diversity, and education is a key focus area for the Air Products Foundation. We are always seeking ways to support the communities in which we live and work. This is a win-win opportunity to support female and minority students at a local college and two universities while deepening our relationships in the community," said Simon Moore, vice president, Investor Relations, Corporate Relations, and Sustainability.
Air Products recently announced new goals to further increase the percentage of females and U.S. minorities in professional and managerial roles at the company. By 2025, Air Products aims to achieve at least 28 percent female representation in the professional and managerial population globally and at least 20 percent minority representation in that same population in the United States. These measures are increases from 25 and 17 percent representation (2020 baseline), respectively.
Beyond the announced scholarships, these students may also benefit from paid internships that Air Products regularly provides. In the event COVID-19 challenges keep students from working at a physical Air Products' location, the company is prepared to continue to make internship opportunities virtual. To date, Air Products has provided 75 virtual internships since the early onset of the pandemic in March 2020.
About the Air Products Foundation
The Air Products Foundation is a separately incorporated 501(c)(3) tax-exempt foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to build meaningful relationships with charitable organizations that share the values inherent in the Air Products' higher purpose and enhance the Company's positive relations with employees, communities, customers, and shareholders.