Kimberly-Clark Corp. has pledged $462,000 over the next five years to sponsor 15 annual scholarships and fellowships at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that are geared primarily towards building a more diverse and better-educated workforce.

The scholarships for engineering and business majors will be awarded to minority and women students, said Brian Lewis, Kimberly-Clark's vice president of recruiting and diversity initiatives. Several are renewable throughout the students' academic years. The diversity affairs office of the College of Engineering will administer 10 of the scholarships.

From left to right: Kimberly Clark Scholar Pierre Leinbach, Kimberly Clark President and COO Tom Falk,, KC Kimberly Clark Scholar Courtney Cobb, Kimberly Clark Scholar Narupol Intasanta, Kimberly Clark VP of Recruiting and Diversity Brian Lewis. (24K JPG)

Totaling $66,000 in the first year, the scholarships are part of a new partnership between the university and Neenah-based Kimberly-Clark.

Paul Peercy, dean of the College of Engineering, said the partnership is designed to strengthen Kimberly-Clark's recruiting efforts and UW-Madison's alignment with industry needs.

"We have a long-standing, dynamic relationship with Kimberly-Clark," Peercy said. "Their commitment in supporting diversity is an important step in helping qualified students who otherwise couldn't afford it to obtain an excellent engineering and science education.

"We need our industrial partners involved at all levels to meet our shared vision of creating and developing a diverse workforce," Peercy added. "This kind of partnership helps increase enrollment and graduation of traditionally under-represented populations in science and engineering."

Kimberly-Clark also will sponsor internships and co-op jobs for students. Coupled with frequent on-campus contact with company managers and executives, Lewis said the effort will enhance education and assist Kimberly-Clark in recruiting top students for full-time jobs.

"It is part of Kimberly-Clark's stated vision to be recognized as one of the best companies in the world, employing the best people, making the best products and generating the best return for our shareholders," said Tom Falk, Kimberly-Clark president and chief operations officer. "You cannot be the best without diversity."

Leading off the scholarships is the Kimberly-Clark Scholar Award, a five-year, $6,000 annual grant to an incoming minority freshman in engineering. The corporation also is awarding three $6,000 scholarships to outstanding sophomores in chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering.

A committee of faculty and student leaders will select six minority and women students for $1,000 annual scholarships in chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering.

University faculty in chemistry and biochemistry and Kimberly-Clark's director of research administration will select a junior or senior in these sciences to receive $6,000 annual research fellowships.

Additionally, the School of Business Undergraduate Scholarship Committee will select three outstanding junior business majors for renewable $6,000 annual scholarships.

The College of Engineering's diversity affairs office also will receive $6,000 yearly to be used for additional scholarship support and fund activities of student diversity groups.

Enrollment at UW-Madison exceeds 40,000 students. The university is widely recognized as among the world's most prestigious public research universities.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a leading global manufacturer of tissue, personal care and health care products. The company's global brands include Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex, Depend, Kleenex, Scott, Kimberly-Clark, Safeskin, Tecnol, Kimwipes and WypAll. Other brands well known outside the U.S. include Andrex, Scottex, Page, Popee and Kimbies. Kimberly-Clark also is a major producer of premium business, correspondence and technical papers. The company has manufacturing operations in 40 countries and sells its products in more than 150 countries.

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