Mehrdad Saif, Alison Samson, Patti WeirMehrdad Saif, dean of engineering; Alison Samson, director of graduate academic services; Brian Bendig, president of Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing Ltd.; and Patti Weir, dean of graduate studies, attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 29. Cavalier Tool and the provincial government have teamed up to provide to a $15,000 scholarship for engineering graduate students at UWindsor.

Local manufacturer and provincial government announce $15,000 scholarship for engineering students at UWindsor

A Windsor tooling company announced Wednesday a new scholarship that will support graduate research in mechanical, automotive and materials engineering at the University of Windsor.

Patti Weir, UWindsor’s dean of graduate studies, said a $5,000 donation from Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing Ltd. will be matched by the provincial government’s Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program and leveraged to a total of $15,000.

“This award will allow us to train future generations of engineers who will continue to make contributions in manufacturing,” said Dr. Weir.

The Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing Ontario Graduate Scholarship will be awarded based on academic excellence, research and professional potential, and communication and leadership skills.

“We’re extremely excited to announce the contribution to the University of Windsor and the establishment of a Cavalier Tool Ontario Graduate Scholarship,” said Brian Bendig, the company’s president. “The scholarship will provide financial support for a Master’s or PhD level student as he or she learns the research and development process in the area of mechanical, automotive and materials engineering.”

The donation was announced at a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate a multi-million-dollar expansion at Cavalier’s 50,000 square-foot facility in Windsor. For 35 years, the firm has produced medium-to-large plastic injection molds for the automotive, agricultural and commercial sectors.

“This is the beginning of hopefully a long and lasting relationship between us and Cavalier,” said dean of engineering Mehrdad Saif. We appreciate the support and look forward to working with them.”

Since 1975, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program has been providing merit-based scholarships to Ontario’s best graduate students in all disciplines of academic study.