Funds flowing to leadership prep center

The Portland State Food Industry Leadership Center (FILC) was awarded $210,000 in grant money to provide scholarships for students interested in pursuing careers in the food and retail industry.

The initiative is meant to promote diversity in the student body. FILC is using the grant to include a greater and more diverse group of students in the PSU program.

FILC is a part of PSU’s School of Business Administration, which helps students pursue careers in the food, beverage and retail industries. In December, the center received another grant of $168,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program.

It received $42,000 from Fred Meyer stores and the PepsiCo Foundation to make the total $210,000. The money will be used specifically for student scholarships in a program called “Project Pipeline.”

A year ago PepsiCo approached PSU and gave FILC $350,000 to establish a diversity program, said Tom Gillpatrick, professor of marketing and FILC executive director.

“An increasing number of these industries have been interested in diversity,” Gillpatrick said about the food and retail market.

In general, students often do not realize the number of career opportunities available in the food and retail industry, Gillpatrick said, because they don’t see positions higher up than a cashier or sales person. He said PSU graduates of the Food Industry Management Program have found jobs in a variety of positions locally, nationally and internationally.

The Food Industry Leadership Center at PSU was founded in 1994 and currently has a 100 percent placement rate after graduation, Gillpatrick said. She said all students who graduate with certificates find jobs in the industry within three months.

Former students are currently working in distribution, sales, marketing and human resources for companies such as PepsiCo, Frito Lay, Fred Meyer, Hershey, Proctor and Gamble, and Daymon Worldwide. Several students are working abroad in places like Portugal and France, Gillpatrick said.

“There’s a place for everyone. It’s such a big industry,” Gillpatrick said.

Rahel Yared, manager of student programs and diversity at PSU, graduated from the School of Business Administration in 2005 with a certificate from the Food Industry Management Program. She now works closely with students from local high schools and community colleges, and current PSU students who are interested in the program. She said FILC is eager to put students in contact with industry recruiters and provide scholarships for their studies at PSU.

“We want to give it away,” Yared said about the scholarship money. “We want students to take the opportunities we’re offering.”

FILC gives scholarships throughout the year, Gillpatrick said. Students can apply now for scholarships that will be awarded this May. Interested students should contact Yared at FILC, which is located on the second floor of the School of Business Administration Building.

A strong aspect of PSU’s program, Gillpatrick said, is that students are required to have a least one internship before graduation. He said this helps prepare students for work after college.

“A lot of the learning happens outside the classroom,” Gillpatrick said. “It’s good to combine that experience with a perspective of the industry.”