New scholarship established by Hartung Brothers Inc.
James Hartung, Jerry Brunner, Denee Hirsch and Dan Hartung
PLATTEVILLE - A new fund has been established at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville by Hartung Brothers Inc. of Madison. They made an initial $25,000 pledge that will provide five $1,000 scholarships to be given out each year for five years as part of the M-S.T.E.P. (Mentoring Scholarships Training Education Placement) Program.
The M-S.T.E.P. Program is designed to connect companies with UWP students that major in areas related to the company's interests. The companies may build relationships with the selected scholars or the general student population by hosting receptions on campus in which representatives may interact with students or by participating in different student-based events. The company has the option to mentor the students and to hire them if they meet the company's expectations.
"The new M-S.T.E.P. program is a win-win program. For the students, it provides real world experiences and builds networks with the companies. For the businesses, it allows them to mentor and train the students to what they need to enter the current job market," said Denee Hirsch, director of development and major gifts at UWP.
Hartung Brothers Inc. is a family owned and operated agribusiness that has been in operation since 1975. They have offices located in Madison; Arena; Bowling Green, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Uvalde, Texas. They provide agriculture contracts for various vegetables and are also a Midwest regional supplier of liquid and dry fertilizer.
"We get a lot of good employees from UWP, and we'd like to show our appreciation by helping students get a good education in agriculture. Agribusiness needs talented employees, and UWP does a good job of training people for the industry," said Jerry Brunner, who works in human resources for Hartung Brothers Inc.
The scholarships will be awarded to new freshmen with declared majors of interest toHartung BrothersInc., such as agribusiness, ageducation, soil and crop science, ag mechanics and horticulture. Special consideration will be given to those students living in communities where Hartung Brothers Inc.has a presence and to those students who have been active in 4H, FFA, an agriculture club or any other local agriculture organization.
The deadline to apply for the scholarship is April 18. All applicants should prepare a biography about themselves for the application and include their vision of their education and career goals. Interested applicants should contact Mark Zidon, director of the School of Agriculture, at (608) 342-1393 or zidon@uwplatt.edu and Cc to pete@uwplatt.edu.
Contact: Denee Hirsch, director of development and major gifts, (608) 342-1969, hirschd@uwplatt.edu
Written by: Megan Mowry, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, mowryme@uwplatt.edu
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