UNB alumni have a long and proud history of supporting one another from generation to generation. This is a tradition made particularly evident through their generous donations of scholarships, prizes and bursaries, that enrich the university experience for both current and future students.
Lorne Berggren (BScEng‘56), a successful Toronto-area engineer, innovator and entrepreneur, is an excellent example of such generosity. In 2006, Mr. Berggren established renewable engineering scholarships at UNB for students interested in entrepreneurship.
Mr. Berggren, who passed away in April 2015, provided another $500,000 this past year to expand his scholarship fund. This generous gift, coupled with his earlier support, enables UNB to award three $10,000 scholarships annually.
One of the latest recipients of the Lorne Berggren Scholarship, Andrew Mathis, is a mechanical engineering student with an interest in green technologies.
“I’ve been happy to put my engineering education and research into action,” says Mr. Mathis. “The Lorne Berggren Scholarship encourages students to pursue new ideas and create marketable solutions to problems. I’m very grateful for Mr. Berggren’s support.”
Mr. Berggren was the founder and CEO of Mould-tek Industries Inc. and Berg Chilling Systems Inc. Under his direction, these innovative companies became worldwide leaders in plastics materials-handling equipment and industrial process cooling systems.
“UNB gave me the head start I needed to get my companies off the ground, and it is my hope that this scholarship will encourage future generations of mechanical engineering students to further their education and become influential leaders in business and the community,” Mr. Berggren said when he launched the scholarship.
Thanks to the generosity of donors like Mr. Berggren, UNB was able to award $7.2 million in undergraduate scholarships in 2015-16. These awards not only recognize the hard work and dedication of students like Mr. Mathis, but make university education accessible to those who may not have the funds to pursue their dreams.
