Kawasaki continuing scholarship support of Northwest students, Visiting Writers Series

Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corporation, an economic driver in the northwest Missouri region for more than 30 years and the county’s largest employer, is continuing its support of Northwest Missouri State University through funding to assist students and programs.

This spring, Kawasaki donated $40,000 to the Northwest Foundation in support of two scholarship programs as well as the University’s Visiting Writers Series.

Pictured left to right are Tim Melvin, manager of human resources at Kawasaki; Northwest President Dr. Lance Tatum and Brittney Langston, assistant manager of human resources at Kawasaki, as Tatum toured the Maryville manufacturing facility this spring. (Submitted photo)

“Kawasaki’s continued investment in student learning is admirable and appreciated,” Jill Brown, the director of corporate relations and a major gift officer at Northwest, said.  “This type of generous sustained support has ripple effects for students, Northwest and the entire Bearcat community for generations to come.”

A gift of $25,000 from Kawasaki will support its Kawasaki Kids: Powering Your Potential Scholarship for Northwest students. Launched for the 2019-20 academic year, the scholarship is available to full-time freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors at Northwest who maintain a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 and who are dependents of employees at the manufacturer’s Maryville, Boonville or Lincoln facilities. At least 12 students will receive the scholarship for 2024-25, bringing the total number of awards to 77 since the scholarship’s inception.

Kawasaki also provided $10,000 to continue the Kawasaki Powering Dreams Scholarship, which assists Northwest students who are “caught in the middle” academically and financially. The scholarship, which has been awarded to 52 students since it was established in 2016, is administered by the University’s Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance, based on its comprehensive view of students who will benefit most from the scholarship. Thus, the scholarship amount and number of students awarded varies annually depending on need.

Additionally, Kawasaki annually provides $5,000 to support Northwest’s Visiting Writers Series, an initiative of the Department of Language, Literature and Writing that brings nationally recognized fiction writers, poets and writers of creative nonfiction to campus for presentations and readings throughout the academic year.

“Kawasaki believes our support fosters opportunities for students that may otherwise not have access to higher education and the unique learning experiences offered through Northwest – opportunities and experiences that reap long-term benefits for these individuals and their communities, wherever the future takes them,” Brittney Langston, assistant manager of human resources at Kawasaki, said.

Kawasaki’s support of the University through the Northwest Foundation, as well as support of Bearcat athletics programs, totals $1.2 million since 1989. Last year, the manufacturer committed $100,000 to a renovation of Northwest’s McKemy Center for Lifelong Learning, where the University launched a systems management program for manufacturing and agribusiness in the School of Agricultural Sciences. The company also has supported such efforts as a STEM workshop for area educators and scholarships for students studying abroad.

The Northwest Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, develops and stewards philanthropic resources for the benefit of Northwest Missouri State University and its students. For more information or to make a gift to support Northwest, contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or advance@yutb.net.