By Andrew Skerritt
The Mosaic Company announced a $100,000 donation to the Florida A&M University (FAMU) School of Business and Industry (SBI) Tuesday in Tallahassee.
The purpose of the contribution is to help provide FAMU students with enhanced experiences with global companies and highlight future leadership opportunities in the corporate world, especially in the agriculture and mining industries.
“We’re excited to collaborate with a deeply respected university. We need the innovative and talented students from Florida A&M University to join our industry and help the world grow the food it needs,” said Mosaic President and CEO Joc O’Rourke.
The Mosaic Company’s 13,000 employees operating in eight countries produce and deliver millions of tonnes of responsibly produced phosphate and potash fertilizers from mine to market – nutrients vital to feed crops that sustain people everywhere – and serve farmers in 40 countries by helping them increase crop yields and improve nutrition for people and animals.
As part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed Tuesday with FAMU, Mosaic will host student interns in a variety of business roles, assign a group of engineering students with a challenging project and evaluate their solutions, and provide coaching and mentoring from the company’s senior leaders.
President Larry Robinson, Ph.D., said the partnership paves the way for even more student success at FAMU.
“Our students will be the true beneficiaries of this support from Joc O’Rourke and the Mosaic team,” Robinson said. “We are excited about strengthening this partnership.”
Following the signing of the agreement, the Mosaic team will be involved in a number of programs interacting with SBI students.
“Our focus at FAMU’s School of Business and Industry is to prepare students to thrive in a competitive, global marketplace. This donation from Mosaic reflects our partnership and the company’s commitment to increasing underrepresented groups and leadership diversity in the workplace,” said SBI Dean Shawnta Friday-Stroud, Ph.D., who is also vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the FAMU Foundation.
