Scholarships target students in food and agriculture

Thursday, December 19, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

The Guelph Food Technology Centre Legacy Fund is supporting University of Guelph students enrolling in food-related programs with a total of $3 million earmarked for various scholarships that will be handed out starting next fall.

The money will be used for scholarships designated for 98 students in undergraduate, graduate and work/study programs along with for research at several University of Guelph colleges. The students eligible for scholarships will be studying in food-related programs, including food engineering, nutrition, agri-business and agricultural economics. The scholarships range from $2,500 to $14,000.

University communications director Lori Bona Hunt says the $3 million gift came from the Legacy Fund. The fund was established this year using the proceeds of sale from the merger of the Guelph Food Technology Centre and NSF International, which is one of the largest food safety certifiers in the world. The Canadian head office for NSF International remains in Guelph.

Bona Hunt says she doesn’t know how much in total is in the Legacy Fund but other places also received donations from it.

Some of the scholarships are a one-time amount, while others are being handed out annually for up to five years, she says.

The donation was made through the BetterPlanet Project, the university’s $200 million fundraising campaign for teaching and research in food, environment, health and communities. BF