LAKELAND, Fla. – The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) has joined Florida Polytechnic University as its latest industry partner.
Florida Polytechnic officials, including President Dr. Randy K. Avent, welcomed Mosaic leaders, including Gary N. “Bo” Davis, Mosaic Senior Vice President, Phosphate Operations, during a partnership signing ceremony today at the university’s Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research (FIPR) Institute in Bartow, Fla.
As an industry partner, Mosaic will support the university in a number of endeavors that may include curriculum development, service on advisory boards, offering industry insight and analysis, conducting joint research and teaching in the classroom. Mosaic may also provide opportunities for Florida Polytechnic students majoring in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Logistics and/or Supply Chain to participate in co-op and intern programs.
“Collaborating with a world-class company like Mosaic to provide students practical, hands-on learning opportunities is what will set our institution and graduates apart,” said Avent. “I’m grateful to Mosaic for supporting our mission, and am confident that our faculty and students will benefit from the relationship with the state’s largest phosphate company.”
Mosaic employs 4,000 at its four mines and four manufacturing facilities in Central Florida. The company is the world’s largest combined producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash, two essential crop nutrients. Driven by its mission to help the world grow the food it needs, Mosaic is committed to strengthening global food security and protecting critical water resources.
“Mosaic’s mining operations in Central Florida build on a proud tradition dating back more than a century,” said Davis. “Our industry is a strong economic driver, and provides tens of thousands of career opportunities in STEM-related fields. Valuable partnerships such as this ensure that as twenty-first century students prepare to enter the workforce, they have practical industry insight and experience. We’re pleased to help them through this partnership and our community giving.”
To date, Mosaic has donated $65,000 to Florida Polytechnic for scholarships.
Mosaic and its predecessor companies have long been involved as board and technical committee members with the FIPR Institute, now a Florida Polytechnic research institution that has worked for more than 35 years to support phosphate-related studies to improve the environment, protect public health, increase mining and processing efficiency and develop sustainability through improved technology. The FIPR Institute’s staff biologists, engineers and chemists conduct in-house research, and support some non-phosphate topics such as energy and the mining and processing of other minerals.
“During our tenure, Mosaic was conceived with the merger of two of Florida’s largest companies and is currently the world’s leading producer of phosphates,” said FIPR Executive Director, Dr. Brian K. Birky. “As the global population grows and natural resources are depleted, it is vital that our food supply remains secure.. The collaboration between Florida Polytechnic and Mosaic is both exciting to witness and encouraging for our future. With this signing, our brightest young minds will begin to transfer cutting-edge scientific knowledge from the university to Mosaic while apprenticing with industry experts as interns and graduate employees to provide economic stability and prosperity for Florida.”
Sean Malott, Florida Polytechnic’s Director of Strategic Business and Education Partnerships, said, “We’re all very excited about the opportunities that our industry partnerships will provide. Aligning ourselves closely with industry means that we can adjust our curriculum to keep pace with ever-evolving technology and help our students meet the demands of leading employers.”
Florida Polytechnic’s network of industry partners has grown to include more than 70 high-tech corporate, government and non-government organizations.