Esko honored with philanthropy award from Indiana State University

The March On! Award is one of the most prestigious awards presented by the leading university’s Division of University Advancement, honoring transformational philanthropy to Indiana State.

Through 2020 and over recent years, Esko has extended its no-charge donation of software licenses to Indiana State and other leading educational institutions across the US. The multi-million-dollar donation, which includes its structural design and production software platforms, supports students in their packaging engineering and technology studies.

Melissa Plemen, senior director of inside sales and marketing, said: ‘The company is proud and thrilled to have been recognized with such a prestigious honor. Our support of schools like ISU is borne out of our belief in supporting the education of the next generation of packaging employees. We strongly believe in investing in the future of our industry, and it’s a privilege to have been able to continue that with our 2020 donation in kind. We did not expect any recognition for this, so to be presented with a March On! Award from ISU is truly an honor.’

ISU president, Deborah J. Curtis, added: ‘We're grateful that an industry leader such as Esko provides generous support for ISU's Package Engineering program. This corporate partnership truly makes a difference in the lives of our students.’

‘Through its generosity, Esko had demonstrated its belief in the university’s enduring success in transforming students’ lives. This sort of philanthropic support helps put ISU on a path to continuing and growing its mission for decades to come,’ commented Buffy Boulet, chair of the ISU Foundation board of directors development committee.

‘Through this year’s donation, packaging course tutors can now use the same software that develops 9 out of 10 retail packages for major brands today, and the breadth of software available enables them to teach a wide range of skillsets. Students can design and create packaging systems, from ideation through to virtual and physical prototypes, preparing them for future roles in what is a diverse and fast-paced industry. It is crucial that the workforce of tomorrow is as skilled and knowledgeable as possible before they embark on their career. We see these donations as part of our contribution to ensuring that vision becomes a reality, investing in not just the future of these young students, but also of our industry as a whole,’ concluded Plemen.