Sierra Pacific Power Company
Contact: Bob Sagan or Karl Walquist
Phone: (775)834-4345

For Immediate Release

Twenty-eight university and college students, and one graduate researcher were presented scholarships on Friday by the Sierra Pacific Foundation at its third annual Scholarship Recognition Program. The Foundation is the charitable arm of Sierra Pacific Power Co.

The five-year, $790,000 program was begun in 1996 to award scholastic excellence at the University of Nevada, Reno; Truckee Meadows Community College; Western Nevada Community College; Great Basin Community College; and South Lake Tahoe Community College. In all, nearly 240 scholarships will have been presented over the life of the program.

Sierra Pacific Power President Malyn Malquist hosted the presentation at the company's headquarters on Neil Road. In his remarks, he praised northern Nevada's university and college systems for providing his company with a"rich, renewable resource of skilled and talented employees over the years." He said Sierra Pacific's educational involvement in the community also supports the University of Nevada, Reno's goal to become the best small state university in the country.

In addition to the scholarships, each year the Sierra Pacific Foundation supports a Nevada graduate student with funds for graduate research in conjunction with the Desert Research Institute.