SUNY Poly Students Receive Cree/Wolfspeed Scholarships
Scholarships for students from historically underserved or marginalised communities are part of Cree’s $3.5M commitment to SUNY Poly STEM education
SUNY Polytechnic Institute has joined Cree in congratulating eleven SUNY Poly students who were announced as recipients of the newly established, merit-based 'Cree | Wolfspeed Scholarship' program.
The scholarships aim to ensure students who come from historically underserved or marginalised communities, as well as those with significant financial need, will have critical access to the educational opportunities that can pave the way toward successful careers in tomorrow’s high-tech workforce.
“We want to congratulate and welcome the inaugural recipients of the Cree | Wolfspeed Scholarship program,” said Cree | Wolfspeed CTO John Palmour. “Cree is committed to providing students in our communities with the opportunity to excel through STEM education initiatives, and it is an honor to help support these students as they continue their educational journeys connected to rewarding careers in STEM and as we work to train tomorrow’s high-tech workforce.”
“I am honoured to congratulate each of these talented students on receiving the Cree | Wolfspeed Scholarship,” said SUNY Poly acting president Tod Laursen. “This scholarship not only highlights Cree’s commitment to innovation-based education, but it also further facilitates these students’ academic careers as they pursue their educational dreams and the growing opportunities in the Mohawk Valley and beyond.”
“I am extremely grateful to Cree for providing funding for these incredibly meaningful scholarships to SUNY Poly students,” said SUNY Poly Foundation Chair Stephen Teti. “Together, we are proud to support student success and open the doors to career readiness and a lifetime of success.”
The commitment from Cree includes a $2,000,000 scholarship program over 10 years, with this cohort of awardees receiving a total of $46,000. Students receiving the scholarship must be interested in pursuing a position in the semiconductor industry upon graduation. They must be committed to working hard, willing to collaborate, have a passion for innovation, and reflect the Cree values of integrity and respect, ownership and accountability, and ingenuity and passion.
The students must also be enrolled in one of the following SUNY Poly academic programs: Computer Engineering Technology; Electrical & Computer Engineering; Electrical Engineering Technology; Mechanical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering Technology; Nanoscale Engineering; or Network & Computer Security.
As part of the scholarship, the recipients, first-year and sophomore students, may be offered paid internships and will be assigned a Cree | Wolfspeed mentor, in addition to being able to attend the annual SUNY Poly and Cree | Wolfspeed Scholarship Mixer.
This initiative is also complementary to the recent announcement of the John Edmond and John Palmour SUNY Polytechnic Institute Endowed Faculty Chairs. The five-year, $1,500,000 funding underpins the continued expansion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) opportunities for students at SUNY Poly.
As previously announced, Cree is developing the world's largest SiC fabrication facility that will be 200mm capable in Marcy, New York—named the Mohawk Valley Fab—and has committed to creating more than 600 new jobs within eight years as well as providing internships for SUNY students as part of its presence.
The efforts look to develop an advanced manufacturing-oriented workforce development initiative across the SUNY system to prepare a 21st century workforce for the long-term, high-quality employment and advancement opportunities that the new facility will present.
Recently, eight students from SUNY Poly took part in exciting internships with Cree. The company also donated $25,000 to the SUNY Poly Foundation in November 2019 to invest in and expand in SUNY Poly’s STEM programs.
