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Portland State University’s Food Industry Leadership Center’s (FILC) has received a $168,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program to support the recruitment of talented, diverse scholars into the Food Industry Management Program. Scholarship support from the USDA was matched with $42,000 from Fred Meyer Stores and the PepsiCo Foundation as part of the FILC’s Pathways Diversity effort.

The USDA’s “Project Pipeline” provides financial scholarship support for PSU students interested in management positions in some of America’s leading food and beverage companies. The USDA’s Project Pipeline provides full academic scholarships and enhanced career preparation for 16 students. A student on a full academic scholarship will receive more than $20,000 in support from the program while preparing for a career within the retail, food, beverage and consumer products industry.

“Retailers and consumer products companies like PepsiCo can benefit, greatly, by attracting young diverse leaders into our industry,” said Al Carey, CEO of Frito Lay, the convenient foods division of PepsiCo. “We feel that PSU food industry program will be an excellent way for us to educate young diverse students about our industry and hopefully move them into successful careers.”

The food and beverage industry is the largest employer in the Pacific Northwest region with one in six jobs supporting the food industries value chain. Housed in the School of Business Administration, PSU’s Food Industry Management Program prepares students for business careers working with a wide range of large and small food and beverage firms regionally and nationally.

Demand for graduates of the food industry program at PSU is high, with the typical student receiving multiple job offers. Rahel Yared, manager for student programs and diversity for the FILC, notes that recent graduates have found management positions at both leading retailers and suppliers, including Kroger/Fred Meyer, Costco, Target, Safeway, Supervalu/Albertsons, Wal-Mart, Thriftway, PepsiCo, Frito Lay, Nestle/Nestle Purina, Procter & Gamble, Daymon Worldwide and Kettle Chips, among others.

The Food Industry Leadership Center (FILC) at Portland State University is housed in the School of Business Administration and is one of the nations’ leading business programs providing academic and executive educational programs for the food and beverage industry — the largest employment industry in the state of Oregon. Since the FILC’s founding in 1994, more than 500 processors, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers have participated in various programs.

For more information on the USDA grant or the Food Industry Leadership Center, contact Tom Gillpatrick in the School of Business Administration at 503-725-8184.

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Source:
Tom Gilpatrick (503-725-8184)
Food Industry Leadership Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#07-031)