CBBS News
ScanSource Scholars Establish Internships and Scholarships for Minority Students
Toward furthering education and cultivating diversity in the workplace, international specialty technology distributor ScanSource, Inc. has partnered with Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science (CBBS). ScanSource President and CEO Mike Baur signed a contract for $250,000 in August to establish a joint scholarship and internship program for minority students in the College of Business and Behavioral Science. The funding will be distributed over five years.
College faculty identify outstanding minority students from areas relevant to ScanSource’s business; ScanSource then helps students pay for school while hiring them for internships at the company’s Greenville, South Carolina location. Baur hopes that these students will consider ScanSource as a serious career option once they graduate.
“This is a great example of business and education working together,” Baur said. “We’re confident we’ve got a good investment. We’re excited to be able to assist students with their educational endeavors, while also bringing in great talent to ScanSource.”
Baur noted that Dean Emeritus Bruce Yandle helped initiate this business and education partnership. Also in attendance for the signing were President James Barker; Dr. David Grigsby, interim dean of the College of Business and Behavioral Science; Dr. Greg Pickett, chair of the marketing department; and Dr. Kinly Sturkie, chair of the sociology department.
Sturkie commended ScanSource’s commitment to service. "We greatly appreciate the vision and commitment of ScanSource in the development of the ScanSource Scholars program and in the contribution this makes to the University and the broader community. This is what innovation in business, education, and professional training is all about, and these sorts of collaborations are what will keep us competitive in the global market of ideas and products,” he said.
Barker was also impressed in a personal way because he “was the first person in my family to go to college. I wouldn’t have been able to come back the next year if it weren’t for a scholarship. I might not have been a Clemson graduate. On behalf of all the students who benefit from your wisdom and philanthropy, thank you.”