Orbital ATK, Inc. (NYSE: OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, today announced the recipients of the company’s Orbital ATK Scholarship Program that provides scholarships to support the undergraduate education of Orbital ATK employees’ children.
This year, Orbital ATK awarded a total of $135,000 in scholarships for the 2015-2016 academic year to 70 students who are children of company employees. Parents of scholarship recipients work at 19 different company locations across 11 states and represent all three Orbital ATK operating groups and the corporate office.
With this year’s awards, Orbital ATK and its legacy companies have provided more than $1.6 million in college scholarships, grants and other awards to over 1,460 students in the last 25 years.
“On behalf of Orbital ATK, I congratulate the recipients of these highly competitive company scholarships and their parents,” said President and Chief Executive Officer David W. Thompson. “These young men and women worked hard to achieve the academic records and other accomplishments that enabled them to receive these awards. The company is proud to play a small part in supporting the post-secondary education of these well-deserving students.”
Recipients were selected by Scholarship Management Services, the nation’s largest manager of scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs for corporations, foundations, associations and individuals. Selection criteria included the student’s grade point average, and if a high school senior, rank-in-class and test scores, leadership and participation in school and community activities, work experience, a statement of education and career goals, unusual family or personal circumstances and an appraisal by someone unrelated to the student. Awards were granted without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender, disability or national origin.
Mark Ferguson, a manager at Orbital ATK’s Dulles, Virginia campus, appreciates the investment the company is making in his daughter’s future.
“My daughter is about to start her freshman year in pursuit of a STEM career,” Ferguson said. “Learning is one of the best investments in the future anyone can make and I am proud to work for a company that recognizes the importance of supporting employees and their children’s education.”
More than two-thirds of this year’s scholarships will be awarded to students enrolled in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) majors. This STEM emphasis underscores the company’s commitment to the value of a STEM education. As a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, more than one-third of Orbital ATK’s employees are engineers and scientists, jobs requiring core STEM skills.
Merrell Johnson, an analyst at Orbital ATK’s Promontory, Utah facility, has two children who are scholarship recipients this year.
“With two children in college, I am grateful for the support from Orbital ATK,” Johnson said. “My son is a civil engineering major and my daughter is majoring in social work. While it is important for our company to place an emphasis on STEM fields, it is also great to see this support extended to those who are pursuing careers beyond STEM.”
About Orbital ATK
Orbital ATK is a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies. The company designs, builds and delivers space, defense and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs more than 12,000 people in 20 states across the U.S. and in several international locations. For more information, visit www.orbitalatk.com.
