UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State named Toshiba/Westinghouse its "Corporate Partner of the Year" at a luncheon Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Nittany Lion Inn. University President Rodney Erickson presented the award to Westinghouse in celebration of the company’s longstanding philanthropic commitment to the University.
“The relationship between Toshiba/Westinghouse and Penn State is nothing less than a model for how corporations and universities can reap enormous mutual benefits from collaboration in research, educational initiatives and recruiting partnerships,” said Erickson.
Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba Corporation, is the world’s pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world’s first pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world’s operating nuclear plants. The company is based in Cranberry Township, Pa.
Westinghouse has provided support for a number of programs at Penn State, but their most generous contributions have been made to the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, including a gift of $2 million in 2008 to establish the Toshiba/Westinghouse Excellence Fund. Among the programs made possible by the fund are the Toshiba/Westinghouse Undergraduate Fellows and Toshiba/Westinghouse Graduate Fellows Programs, which provide students with unparalleled opportunities for hands-on research and professional development in the nuclear field at Penn State. Westinghouse also endowed the Lawrence E. Hochreiter Distinguished Lecture Series, which honors the memory of Lawrence Hochreiter, a professor in nuclear engineering who passed away suddenly in September 2008.
“The Toshiba/Westinghouse-Penn State partnership has positively impacted our faculty and students alike in all areas of our mission: teaching, research and outreach,” said Karen Thole, head of the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering. “Their continued support and committed efforts have provided us with many opportunities to enrich our students’ educational experiences.”
In addition to their gifts to Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Westinghouse has supported other areas across the University, including the Department of Electrical Engineering, the Environmental Resource Research Institute, and Career Services, as well as programs in the Smeal College of Business and at Penn State’s Altoona, Behrend, and Greater Allegheny campuses. The company has also sponsored more than $13 million in research projects at Penn State. Toshiba/Westinghouse maintains a strong recruiting relationship with the University, and nearly 1,000 Penn State alumni are currently employed by the corporation.
Accepting the award on behalf of Westinghouse was Vice President for Strategy Rick Etling. “For over fifty years, Westinghouse and Penn State have sustained a partnership in research and development, technical collaboration, and new graduate placement to meet the evolving needs of the U.S. energy industry,” said Etling. “It is an honor for Westinghouse to be recognized with this award, and we look forward to continuing this mutually beneficial partnership for many years to come.”
Former Corporate Partners of the Year include Dow Chemical, Boeing, Highmark, PNC, Barnes and Noble, Lockheed Martin, and Bank of America.