PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — Perdue Farms, through its Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, has awarded a $50,000 grant to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) to provide support for student scholarships. UMES is a public historically black land-grant research university.
“These scholarships would support students studying agriculture, business, construction management technology, hospitality and tourism, engineering, and more,” said David Balcom, University of Maryland Eastern Shore vice president for university relations. “Perdue scholars will pursue their degrees in their chosen field, and many will also help to advance research in areas such as food science and technology innovation.”
University of Maryland Eastern Shore Perdue Scholarships will be awarded to students of outstanding character with a grade point average of 2.5 or higher and will help students complete their degrees, minimize student debt, and advance their careers.
“Graduating an ever-increasing number of students will produce promising new employees for private industry and help to stimulate the economy both on and off the Eastern Shore,” said Balcom. “A number of these students will also be engaged in research initiatives helping to advance knowledge and create new innovation benefiting private industry and the general welfare.”
Many UMES undergraduate students are the first in their families to attend college and half are unable to afford tuition, which makes scholarship support like that from the Perdue Foundation the highest priority for the university.
“Perdue Farms is very happy and honored to provide assistance towards the creation of the UMES Perdue Scholarships,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of the Perdue Foundation. “We hope these scholarships will help to attract new students, retain them and ultimately graduate them.”
