Sappi Fine Paper donates $100,000 to University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation for scholarships

ORONO, Maine, April 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sappi Fine Paper North America has donated $100,000 over the course of four years to the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation to establish an endowed scholarship fund for engineers. The Sappi Scholarship Fund is a Leadership Gift to the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation's $2 million fundraising campaign, which begins this year.

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Sappi's gift is made in recognition of the long-standing relationship between the company and the University of Maine. "Our relationship to the Pulp and Paper Foundation, the College of Engineering and University of Maine overall has just been excellent," says Mark Gardner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sappi Fine Paper North America. "The campaign offers a wonderful opportunity for our company and other businesses to partner with the University of Maine in supporting students as they pursue careers in an industry that continues to be a powerful economic engine for Maine."

Sappi Fine Paper North America has supported the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation since its inception in 1950. The company is a member in the Foundation, supports the foundation's Consider Engineering Program, provides internship and co-op positions for undergraduate engineering students, and ultimately hires qualified University of Maine graduates.

Many former recipients of University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation scholarships are found at all levels of leadership throughout Sappi's two Maine-based mills in Skowhegan and Westbrook, and across the company in North America. These recipients continue to actively serve the University and the Pulp and Paper Foundation in numerous ways.

"We are thrilled with this gift, and with the leadership demonstrated by Sappi Fine Paper North America. This gift will allow us to support three additional students with full tuition scholarships over the next five years and beyond," said Jack Healy Executive Director of the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation. "This $100,000 gift will allow us to further our mission of providing highly skilled engineers to the Pulp and Paper Industry both in Maine and throughout North America. The demand by our industry for engineers continues to be strong due to expected high retirements in the engineering area during the next 15 years."

About the University of Maine
The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's premier public university. It is among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast and attracts students from across the U.S. and more than 65 countries. It currently enrolls 10,900 total undergraduate and graduate students who can directly participate in groundbreaking research working with world-class scholars. Students are offered more than 90 undergraduate majors and academic programs, 75 master's degree programs, 30 doctoral programs and one of the oldest and most prestigious honors programs in the U.S. The university promotes environmental stewardship on its campus, with substantial efforts aimed at conserving energy, recycling and adhering to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine, visit www.umaine.edu.

About The University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation
The University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation has been an affiliate of the University of Maine since 1950. During that time over 3800 scholarships have been awarded to students interested in technical careers in the Pulp and Paper Industry. The Foundation currently supports more than 80 students with full tuition scholarships. For more information please go to www.mainepulpaper.org.

About Sappi Fine Paper North America
Sappi Fine Paper North America, known for innovation and quality, is a preeminent North American producer of coated fine and release papers and market pulp headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Its coated fine papers, with highly recognized brand names such as McCoy, Opus, Somerset and Flo, are used in premium magazines, catalogs, books and high-end print advertising. The company is also the world's leading supplier of release papers for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries, including the globally recognized Ultracast brand. Sappi's release papers provide the surface aesthetics for synthetic fabrics used in footwear, clothing, upholstery and accessories, as well as the textures for decorative laminates found in kitchens, baths, flooring and other decorative surfaces. An integrated pulp and paper producer, with state-of-the-art pulp mills, Sappi is the third largest seller of hardwood pulp in North America.

Sappi Fine Paper North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (NYSE, JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with over 14,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 100 countries around the world. Learn more about Sappi at: www.sappi.com/na

For further information:

Michael Higgins
Senior Development Officer
Office: 207-581-3546
University of Maine Development Office
[email protected]

Joanna Rieke
Manager, Corporate Communications
Sappi Fine Paper North America
Office: 617-423-5409
[email protected]

SOURCE Sappi Fine Paper North America