In a nutshell: Schwan’s Company and Schwan’s Corporate Giving Foundation are making significant, long-term investments in University of Minnesota academic programming and scholarships, food safety and nutrition research, entrepreneurial and women’s leadership programs, and Gopher Athletics. More than 400 U of M alumni are current or past members of the Schwan’s workforce.

Partnership example: Women Invested in Leadership and Learning (WILL) is a program that supports development of character, teamwork, and achievement through a curriculum jointly developed and led by women leaders from Schwan’s. This year, 158 female student-athletes participated.

Other collaboration highlights:

• Support of undergraduate scholarships and advanced research at the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences in areas such as food safety and plant-based proteins
• Programs and scholarships at the Carlson School of Management, including the school’s Minnesota Cup and Grow North entrepreneurial programs
• Interactive brand enterprise and data analytics programming in which Carlson School students work with Schwan’s experts on brand, product, and research products
• Executive participation in MBOLD, a CEO-driven collaboration of Minnesota’s growing base of agriculture and food companies and organizations, which is accelerating solutions to today’s greatest farming and food issues.
• Employee participation in volunteering at various levels and roles across the University

Impact: “We are impressed with the talent of the University’s students, staff, and academic leadership as we work together to make a real difference in people’s lives in Minnesota and beyond. It is especially gratifying to see the direct engagement between Schwan’s leaders and U of M students that is at the core of our working partnership.” —Dimitrios Smyrnios, Schwan’s Company CEO