ORONO, Maine, April 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi Fine
Paper North America has donated $100,000 over the course of four years to the
University of Maine Pulp and Paper
Foundation to establish an endowed scholarship fund for engineers.
The Sappi Scholarship Fund is a Leadership Gift to the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation's
$2 million fundraising campaign,
which begins this year.
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Sappi's gift is made in recognition of the long-standing
relationship between the company and the University of Maine. "Our relationship to the Pulp
and Paper Foundation, the College of Engineering and University of Maine overall has just been
excellent," says Mark Gardner,
President and Chief Executive Officer, Sappi Fine Paper North
America. "The campaign offers a wonderful opportunity for our
company and other businesses to partner with the University of Maine in supporting students as they
pursue careers in an industry that continues to be a powerful
economic engine for Maine."
Sappi Fine Paper North America has supported the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation since
its inception in 1950. The company is a member in the Foundation,
supports the foundation's Consider Engineering Program,
provides internship and co-op positions for undergraduate
engineering students, and ultimately hires qualified University of Maine graduates.
Many former recipients of University of
Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation scholarships are found at
all levels of leadership throughout Sappi's two Maine-based mills in Skowhegan and Westbrook, and across the company in
North America. These recipients
continue to actively serve the University and the Pulp and Paper
Foundation in numerous ways.
"We are thrilled with this gift, and with the leadership
demonstrated by Sappi Fine Paper North America. This gift will
allow us to support three additional students with full tuition
scholarships over the next five years and beyond," said
Jack Healy Executive Director of the
University of Maine Pulp and Paper
Foundation. "This $100,000 gift will
allow us to further our mission of providing highly skilled
engineers to the Pulp and Paper Industry both in Maine and throughout North America. The demand by our industry for
engineers continues to be strong due to expected high retirements
in the engineering area during the next 15 years."
About the University of
Maine
The University of
Maine, founded in Orono in
1865, is the state's premier public university. It is among the
most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast
and attracts students from across the U.S. and more than 65
countries. It currently enrolls 10,900 total undergraduate and
graduate students who can directly participate in groundbreaking
research working with world-class scholars. Students are offered
more than 90 undergraduate majors and academic programs, 75
master's degree programs, 30 doctoral programs and one of the
oldest and most prestigious honors programs in the U.S. The
university promotes environmental stewardship on its campus, with
substantial efforts aimed at conserving energy, recycling and
adhering to green building standards in new construction. For more
information about UMaine, visit www.umaine.edu.
About The University of Maine
Pulp and Paper Foundation
The University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation has
been an affiliate of the University of
Maine since 1950. During that time over 3800 scholarships
have been awarded to students interested in technical careers in
the Pulp and Paper Industry. The Foundation currently supports more
than 80 students with full tuition scholarships. For more
information please go to www.mainepulpaper.org.
About Sappi Fine Paper North America
Sappi Fine Paper
North America, known for innovation and quality, is a preeminent
North American producer of coated fine and release papers and
market pulp headquartered in Boston,
Massachusetts. Its coated fine papers, with highly
recognized brand names such as McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are used in premium
magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. The
company is also the world's leading supplier of release papers for
the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries, including
the globally recognized Ultracast brand. Sappi's release papers
provide the surface aesthetics for synthetic fabrics used in
footwear, clothing, upholstery and accessories, as well as the
textures for decorative laminates found in kitchens, baths,
flooring and other decorative surfaces. An integrated pulp and
paper producer, with state-of-the-art pulp mills, Sappi is the
third largest seller of hardwood pulp in North America.
Sappi Fine Paper North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited
(NYSE, JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with over 14,000
employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven
countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world.
Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na
For further information:
Michael Higgins
Senior Development Officer
Office: 207-581-3546
University of Maine Development
Office
Michael.d.higgins1@maine.edu
Joanna Rieke
Manager, Corporate Communications
Sappi Fine Paper North America
Office: 617-423-5409
joanna.rieke@sappi.com
SOURCE Sappi Fine Paper North America