Canadian
National (CN) contributes $150,000 to establish
Transportation & Logistics Management Fund
SUPERIOR, WIS. Sept. 26, 2002 - Canadian National today announced an endowment of $150,000 to establish the CN Transportation and Logistics Management Fund at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. The company’s contribution will help develop programs and fund scholarships. The announcement was made before UW-Superior Transportation and Logistics students on campus.
“This is a fantastic recognition of the hard work that Dr. Richard Stewart has done to help us create a field of study that is in demand by employers and a research center that is steadily gaining respect,” said Chancellor Julius Erlenbach. “We are extremely pleased that CN has stepped forward with a gift that will support this program’s work for years to come.”
The Fund will provide income for annual support to:
James M. Foote, CN Executive Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, and a graduate of UW-Superior, was in Superior today to make the announcement. "CN is very proud to be associated with the University of Wisconsin-Superior. It's a fitting gift to mark the first year anniversary of Wisconsin Central becoming an important part of CN's North American rail network," Foote said. "The CN Fund will help encourage today's youth to become tomorrow's leaders in transportation - the people who will shape the future success of our company and the North American economy."
U.S. Congressmen Dave Obey (D-Wisconsin) and James Oberstar (D-Minnesota), while unable to attend the announcement, expressed their appreciation of CN's partnership with UW-Superior and the program.
"I am proud that working with the Chancellor and staff at UW-Superior we were able to establish the Transportation and Logistics Program," said Congressman Obey. "I am also glad to see CN participating since a partnership between the public, academic, and business sectors is crucial to the success of both the program and its graduates."
“The efficient movement of products from a manufacturer to consumer plays a vital role in the nation’s economy,” Congressman Oberstar from the neighboring district added. “I applaud CN’s decision to support UW-Superior’s program in Transportation and Logistics Management. This endowment will not only benefit UW-Superior and its students, but it will eventually have a profound effect on the nation’s economy as those students enter the job market.”
UW-Superior’s Transportation and Logistics major has grown from eight to 40 students in the past two years. All graduates of the program have been placed in major industries in the field throughout the United States.
“The seasoned transportation work force is retiring, and our students, with their leadership, technology and management training, are filling much needed roles within the industry,” said Dr. Richard D. Stewart, Director of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center.
The Transportation and Logistics Management major and the affiliated research center are both directed by Dr. Stewart. Dr. Xiubin Wang joined the faculty this fall to teach and research within the program.
This contribution is an example of the positive relationship between CN and UW-Superior. CN also funds UW-Superior’s Internship in Political Science program. This is the second donation CN has made within the University of Wisconsin System this year. Last week, CN announced a $50,000 donation to the Stevens Point campus to create the CN Safety Fellowship and Industry Professor position.
Canadian National Railway Company spans Canada and mid-America, from the
Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of
Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile,
Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth,
Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, St.
Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North
America.
Railroad gift gives a boost to UWS program
Money will go for Transportation and Logistics
program research and scholarships
Maria Lockwood
The Daily Telegram
Last Updated: Friday,
September 27th, 2002 11:38:03 AM
James Foote learned the business of transportation and logistics the
old-fashioned way. He took classes at the University of Wisconsin-Superior by
day and switched boxcars in the rail yard behind the old gymnasium by night. On
Thursday, he was back at his alma mater to pass on the torch to the industry’s
new generation.
Foote, vice-president of sales and marketing for Canadian National, presented
the UWS Transportation and Logistics program with $150,000 to establish the CN
Transportation and Logistics Management Fund. The fund will provide income for
annual support to student research, specialized simulation software, field
experiences and scholarships.
“Today things have evolved,” Foote said. “Business has evolved, become so
complicated, intertwined that we no longer approach it in the old way. It must
be approached in the new way.”
UWS is part of that new school. The university’s Transportation and Logistics
program opened in 1999 and has grown from eight to 40 students in the past two
years. All 12 students who have graduated from the program have been placed in
major industries in the field.
“Most of them had jobs before they graduated,” said Richard Stewart, director
of the Transportation and Logistics Research Center. Their average starting
salary, he said, was $34,000.
The program is situated in an ideal site, said Foote, because the Twin Ports is
a hub for train, vessel and truck traffic.
“It creates a unique opportunity for study and a unique opportunity to
businesses,” he said. Thanks to the gift from CN, those opportunities have
expanded. The funding for research projects, in particular, was appreciated by
students.
“This gift will help students like myself,” said Monica Fechhelm of Wausau. The
senior said she recently became involved in a research project. It has helped
her feel more a part of the program and given her an in-depth education.
“It makes you apply everything you learned,” said Fechhelm.
Working on a global research project, said UWS senior Pamela Davis of Spooner,
“made me maximize what I’m learning at this university. It truly has made me
feel confident in this major.”
Both students thanked CN railroad officials Foote and Gordon Trafton for the
gift. So did Chancellor Julius Erlenbach.
“This is a significant beginning, a significant commitment to this particular
institution and this particular program,” he said. “I think we see a very
bright future for Transportation and Logistics at UWS. Much of that can be
attributed to the kind of commitment shown today ... CN is a great corporate
friend of the university.”
For CN railroad officials, the endowment is an investment in the future.
“The CN fund will help encourage today’s youth to become tomorrow’s leaders in
transportation,” said Foote.