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Reflecting a mutual dedication to sustainability, Stevens Institute of Technology received a $1.45 million gift from Public Service Enterprise Group Foundation to help bolster education in the field.

Announced by the Hoboken private research university April 2, the funding helps launch the new Stevens Center for Sustainability. PSEG Foundation‘s latest contribution will also aid in developing sustainability programming as well as the pipeline of future talent.

The award marks the continuation of a long-standing partnership between Stevens and PSEG, initiated in 2003. At that time, an inaugural gift facilitated the creation of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education. Since then, PSEG’s grant funding to Stevens tops $4.8 million, according to the school.

That figure includes the latest gift, in addition to $1.2 million received over the past three years. According to Stevens, recent program funding benefitted nearly 200 students, with scholarships for 10 undergraduates and 60 pre-college students, six awards for the university and acknowledgment in 48 publications.

The effect of the most-recent gift will cover three years (2024-2026).

Stevens said it will offer up to 58 scholarships to pre-college scholars participating in the Stevens ACES program. Doled out over three summers, that begins this year. Meanwhile, 20 undergrads will receive support to launch research during their sophomore year focusing on sustainability and environmental justice. And four doctoral scholarships will support research on sustainable environmental and energy challenges in overburdened communities, with an emphasis on including students from underserved backgrounds, according to Stevens.

The Stevens Center for Sustainability

Dibs Sarkar, a professor of Environmental Engineering and the founding director of the Sustainability Management Graduate Program, leads the SCS. According to him, caring about the future is inextricable from caring about sustainability.

“With this generous gift and the continued support of the PSEG Foundation, we are thrilled to establish this new Center as a transdisciplinary hub for developing innovative solutions to complex sustainability problems,” Sarkar said. “By integrating principles of environmental justice into our environmental, social and business sustainability research, we aim to create a more inclusive and equitable future, where the benefits of a sustainable society can be shared by all.”

Stevens President Nariman Farvardin said the school is “thrilled” with the continued support.

“This is more than a financial contribution; it is an investment in our shared vision for a sustainable future,” he said. “The programs funded by this grant promise to enrich the academic journey of our students and empower them to tackle the pressing environmental issues of our time.”

“We’re proud to support a center that will help build our next generation of leaders to focus on sustainability … Opening opportunities to more New Jersey students and strengthening our pipeline of future workers are critical components of a thoughtful energy transition,” said Rick Thigpen, PSEG senior vice president, Corporate Citizenship.