Bakery science students at Kansas State University are now eligible for scholarship assistance through a gift from global bakery manufacturer and ingredient supplier Dawn Foods. The Dawn Foods Bakery Science Scholarship is open to undergraduate juniors or seniors and will provide two recipients each with a $5,000 scholarship annually beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
“Dawn’s partnership with Kansas State University reflects a long-term investment in building strong industry-academic connections — fostering collaboration, innovation and a stronger pipeline of skilled talent for the future of baking,” said Felisa Stockwell, vice president of North America people and global talent management at Dawn. “With this scholarship, we aim to invest in emerging talent and provide students with the opportunity to focus more fully on their academic and professional growth within bakery science.”
The new scholarship is an extension of a longstanding partnership between Dawn Foods and K-State, the only university currently offering a four-year degree in bakery science and management. In addition to the scholarship, the collaboration delivers important opportunities for future baking industry professionals, including applied learning experiences in the form of internship opportunities at Dawn Foods’ headquarters in Jackson, Michigan, or its other U.S. locations.
“At K-State, we offer a unique path to great careers in the baking field,” said Aaron Clanton, Bakers National Education Foundation instructor. “Our graduates go on to spur innovation for commercial bakeries, cereal food manufacturers, and research and development laboratories, so industry partnerships like this that support and guide our students are a smart move for all involved.”
In a pilot-scale bakery and multiple testing laboratories, bakery science and management students have unique opportunities to develop innovative technologies and practices that uncover creative new business strategies. The program is offered by the Department of Grain Science and Industry within K-State’s College of Agriculture, which seeks to meet the evolving needs of global food systems through a combination of interdisciplinary research and close industry collaboration. A new facility dedicated to this purpose — the Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation — is currently under construction at the university. As Kansas State University’s strategic partner for philanthropy, the KSU Foundation inspires and guides philanthropy toward university priorities to boldly advance K-State.
