Jackson State University President Dr. Carolyn W. Meyers welcomed a “big check” — literally! — from Union Pacific Railroad officials this week.
Before accepting the large presentation check for $30,000 for student scholarships and other investments in JSU, Meyers thanked the company for its “strong and ongoing commitment to our university.”
“I can’t thank you enough for believing in us and supporting us,” she said.
To date, Union Pacific has given more than $480,000 to Jackson State for scholarships, curriculum development and other needs.
The team from Union Pacific Collegiate Recruiting was on hand for the Career Fair on Thursday at the Walter Payton Recreation Complex. They met with Meyers and other JSU leaders at the president’s office in the H.P. Jacobs Administration Tower going over equally big plans for its business-university partnership.
The donation includes:
♥ $15,000 for scholarships in the fields of accounting, business administration, finance, management science, and sales and marketing;
♥$4,500 to the dean of the College of Business Administration for curriculum development in marketing, finance and/or technology;
♥ $2,500 for scholarships in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology;
♥ $8,000 for supplies and other needs.
In addition, Union Pacific intends to step up its recruitment of JSU graduates. Areas of interest are: marketing/sales, information technology, operating/dispatching, finance/audit and engineering. It has hired 24,000 employees in the last five years and expects that 300 high-level jobs will open up in the next five years. It is focusing on STEM areas — science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Some 50 percent of management is female, company officials say.
Already, Union Pacific has 46 JSU alums hired for various jobs around the country and plans to hire about 425 to 461 people this year recruited from JSU and other universities, including three historically black universities and colleges.