University News
The John Deere Foundation Pledges $22,000 to WIU
February 4, 2004
MACOMB, IL The John Deere Foundation in Moline recently contributed $22,000 to Western Illinois Universitys supply chain management program (SCM) and WIUs College of Business and Technology (CBT) for continued educational enhancement opportunities.
According to Western Illinois marketing and finance department chair Fred Ebeid, this is just one of the Deere Foundation's recent donations to the SCM program and the college. The educational alliance was established in April 1999. This gift brings the total of $75,000 contributed from the John Deere Foundation in just five years. Funds have been used to support curriculum and faculty development, internships, and scholarships.
Because of the Deere Foundations contributions, SCM students were able to attend a major conference, Operation Stimulus, in Denver last year where Westerns student team placed third in the case study competition, Ebeid added. In addition, the grant monies allow students and faculty to attend a logistics roundtable in St. Louis and various field trip opportunities, assist the SCM student organization in bringing speakers to campus and fund faculty research projects.
Deere & Company also sponsors internships for Westerns supply chain management students, which often lead to a full-time position with Deere following graduation.
"We are so appreciative of the John Deere Foundations continued generosity and promotion of the supply chain management program at WIU. This funding is especially helpful in these lean budget years," Ebeid added. "These alliances are indispensable as they provide our students an opportunity to blend real-world experiences with strong academic preparation."
Posted By: Darcie Shinberger (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing
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