FARGO, ND – The Valspar Corp., a leading global manufacturer of paints and coatings, and North Dakota State University (NDSU) have announced two new scholarship programs to provide opportunities for students studying coatings and polymeric materials at NDSU. The Valspar Foundation will contribute $20,000 to support up to five graduate student scholarships and a new program for Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE). The scholarship program is administered through the Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials at NDSU and coordinated through NDSU’s Development Foundation.

A selection committee consisting of NDSU professors and Valspar’s technical leaders announced the first Valspar Graduate Scholars Program awards to Olena Kudina, Lviv, Ukraine; Casey Orgon, Bemidji, MN; Adlina Paramarta, Java, Indonesia; Andriy Popadyuk, Lviv, Ukraine; and Alison Rohly, Lino Lakes, MN. Each graduate student will receive $3,000, supporting the students’ studies at NDSU’s Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials for the 2014 academic year.

Scholars will visit Valspar during the spring semester to discuss their research projects and to learn more about the coatings industry.

“These scholarships will further our relationship and build our pipeline of talent by supporting students to develop insights into fundamental performance drivers of coatings and polymers and provide them an experience associated with an industrial environment,” said Dr. Cynthia Arnold, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Valspar. “Valspar and NDSU have a long history of technical collaboration. We recognize their deep technical expertise in many disciplines associated with coatings research.”