Perdue Fellowship
Arthur W. Perdue Graduate Fellowship Program to be established at UD
1:44 p.m., Sept. 18, 2013--The Arthur W. Perdue Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms, has awarded the University of Delaware $125,000 over the next three-years to establish the Arthur W. Perdue Graduate Fellowship in the University’s Department of Animal and Food Sciences.
"The college is grateful to Perdue for providing funding for one of our greatest needs, graduate education,” said Mark Rieger, dean of UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “Beyond the funding per se, the gift allows for a closer relationship between UD and Perdue, and we will learn much from each other as we collaborate."
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“The generous contribution from the Perdue Foundation will be used to recruit outstanding graduate students to pursue the Ph.D. degree in poultry science,” said Jack Gelb, professor and chairperson of the Department of Animal and Food Sciences. “In addition to working with faculty at UD, the chosen students will collaborate with scientists at Perdue, and will travel and attend scientific meetings in the U.S. and abroad. We are proud to be the recipient of this gift and look forward to training top young scientists and future leaders in poultry science.”
As Arthur W. Perdue Fellows, the selected students will focus on possible research through the University’s Avian Biosciences Center in the areas of broiler growth and efficiency, muscle biology and physiology, and emerging infectious avian diseases and their control.
Another area of possible research may focus on intestinal microbiology, physiology and impacts on microbial populations, including those that present foodborne disease challenges.
“The University of Delaware has been serving the needs of the poultry industry on Delmarva for more than 50 years,” said Bruce Stewart-Brown, senior vice president of food safety and quality at Perdue Farms. “We’re pleased to establish a new legacy of learning and higher education through this grant from the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. We value the opportunity to provide research opportunities to aspiring scientists whose work will benefit not only Perdue, but others in the poultry industry. We see this as a mutually beneficial partnership.”
About Perdue Farms
Perdue Farms is the parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness, and represents the Perdue family ownership. Since its beginning on Arthur Perdue’s farm in 1920, through expansion into agribusiness and the introduction of the Perdue brand of chicken and turkey under Frank Perdue, to the third-generation of family leadership with chairman Jim Perdue, Perdue Farms has remained a family-owned, family-operated business dedicated to making Perdue the most trusted name in food and agricultural products. To learn more about Perdue, visit the website.
The Arthur W. Perdue Foundation is funded through the estates of Arthur W. Perdue and Frank Perdue. The foundation provides grants on behalf of Perdue Farms in communities where large numbers of company associates live and work.
Photos by Doug Baker