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Saginaw Valley State University

October 2, 2014

Consumers Energy Donation Promotes STEM Education to SVSU Students

Consumers Energy Donation to STEMSaginaw Valley State University has received a gift from the Consumers Energy Foundation to support academic programs with an emphasis on adding engineering talent to the STEM pipeline. Consumers officials presented the check to SVSU Friday, Sept. 26.

“Our Promise is to care for the Michigan communities we serve,” said Dennis Dobbs, vice president of generation engineering and services for Consumers Energy. “That starts with having a ready workforce with the skills and talents needed to deliver on our Promise. Our partnership with SVSU will assure that the talent pipeline remains full and can connect the dots between high school students interested in a STEM curriculum with SVSU and ultimately Consumers Energy.”

The $25,000 donation will fund the Consumers Energy Engineering Talent Development Program at SVSU. The initiative is intended to develop a pipeline of electrical engineers to meet the region's energy industry needs. It will involve recruiting potential engineering students out of high school, promoting energy design projects by SVSU students, and connecting those students with opportunities at Consumers Energy over two years.

“We are committed to preparing highly qualified graduates to meet the needs of employers in the Great Lakes Bay Region and throughout Michigan,” said SVSU President Donald Bachand. “We are highly appreciative of this gift from Consumers Energy, as it will assist our students as they pursue degrees in our very demanding engineering programs.”

Consumers Energy also contributed $25,000 to support the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum at SVSU. Both gifts are part of SVSU's “Talent. Opportunity. Promise” fundraising campaign; for more information, visit svsu.edu/campaign.

The Consumers Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Consumers Energy. It provides funding for a variety of areas including education, community, civic and cultural development, social services, the environment, and emerging issues. For more information, visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/foundation.