At the annual Fall Scholarship Banquet, the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation (UMPPF) awarded nearly $300,000 in scholarships. In total, the UMPPF will award more than $600,000 in full and partial tuition scholarships this year to 91 students currently enrolled in the College of Engineering. The students represent majors including chemical, mechanical, electrical, biological, and civil engineering, as well as mechanical and electrical engineering technology. These students are required to complete at least two semesters of co-op or internship experience in the pulp and paper industry, and they graduate in four years with the significant advantage of nearly a year’s worth of experience (or more) in their field.

 

 

This year’s Scholarship Banquet speaker was Marc Begin, VP of sales, North America, for Voith Paper Fabric and Roll Systems. Begin was born and raised in Maine, graduating from Winslow High School in 1984, and earning his B.S. degree in chemical engineering in 1988. He was a recipient of the Pulp & Paper Foundation Scholarship during his time at UMaine. 

Begin began his career in the paper industry with James River (now Georgia-Pacific). In 1993, he moved from manufacturing into a supplier role in Appleton, Wis., USA. Marc held jobs in various management positions with Voith including Strategic Account Management in Atlanta, Ga., and then at the North American headquarters in Raleigh, N.C.  There he has held the positions of tissue business manager for North America, VP of technology and optimization, and currently as the VP of sales.

Begin shared his own career path as an example of one that the students might follow.  Many UMaine alums have traveled to other parts of the country and the world to fulfill their career aspirations, and Marc discussed the importance of embracing all of the opportunities that come one’s way.  Marc also reinforced that the paper industry desperately needs this generation of young engineers to fill vacancies created by retirements and to bring new innovation that will continue to propel the industry forward.

In addition to the $600,000 annually in scholarships, UMaine will also contribute nearly $200,000 to UMaine in the form of student programming, recruiting support, graduate student stipends, and faculty research support in Pulp and Paper, as well as the facilitation of the Consider Engineering program for high school juniors. This residential summer camp provides students the opportunity to experience campus life, tour engineering departments, complete engineering experiments, and tour a local manufacturing facility. The program is offered free of charge to high school juniors through a very competitive application process.

The UMaine Pulp and Paper Foundation offers incredible networking opportunities for company members, including the annual Paper Days event in Orono.  On April 13-14, 2016, more than 350 industry leaders, students, University faculty and staff, and donors will join together to discuss "Packaging Maine for the Future," with a keynote address by Mark Kowlzan, CEO of Packaging Corporation of America.  A recent Open House at Catalyst Paper in Rumford for members only allowed more than 90 industry representatives to get a tour of that facility. The event also included updates from the UMPPF, Maine Pulp and Paper Association, and the student TAPPI/PIMA group that spent 14 days visiting papermaking and supplier facilities in Germany and Austria this May.

More information can be found on the UMPPF website. In particular, a great overview of the UMPPF’s 65-year history and purpose can be viewed in the 10-minute video produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Karyl Evans of Karyl Evans Productions. To view the video, click the link on our website above.