University of St. Thomas (UST) is pleased to announce the signing of an exclusive partnership agreement with PepsiCo. Assistant Vice President and Chief of Police H.E. Jenkins said with this collaboration, UST will receive increased support in several key areas, including:
“What makes this partnership especially meaningful is that PepsiCo structured the agreement with a clear focus on enhancing the student experience — a value that lies at the heart of UST’s mission,” Jenkins said.
When students, faculty and staff return from Christmas break, they will begin to see visible changes across campus. Updates will include new soft drink vending machines, expanded beverage options in dining services, and refreshed offerings in the UST Bookstore — all designed to maximize the benefits of this new partnership.
“This collaboration with PepsiCo represents another important step forward in UST’s ongoing commitment to putting students first while creating meaningful opportunities that enrich our entire campus community,” Jenkins said. “The partnership with PepsiCo will provide us with revenue up to an additional $500,000 over the next five years. We look forward to putting that into scholarships, athletic programs and things that will help the University.”
Jenkins shares how PepsiCo has grown beyond just the normal PepsiCo offerings to provide the community with many beverage options, such as Gatorade, Starbucks, and the ever-popular Poppi sodas.
“PepsiCo has the new brand Poppi that has been highly successful at UST,” he said. “The first time we ordered the Poppi brand through PepsiCo, it sold out within two days on campus. So, it's been very popular here. PepsiCo team members were even giving out free samples at the Chili Cook Off.”
Jenkins is enthusiastic about PepsiCo investing in the community – monetarily and in person. The PepsiCo organization will begin giving out specific scholarships at UST and attending events to show the amount of support they have for engaging with the community.
“They want to be a part of our community and be a part of the things that we are doing,” Jenkins said. “These are the types of partnerships we’re trying to develop – not just a one-time deal but continuing to ingrain themselves in the community life.”
While Coca Cola enthusiasts might be groaning, Jenkins said to try to look at the full picture and one major addition that will not be going away.
“What I tell people is to look at the full products of what PepsiCo is offering,” he said. “PepsiCo has really invested in many products to bring them to a solid level and they want to be a part of us – UST. Also, what comes with this deal is Dr. Pepper! I made sure that Dr. Pepper would be available, so I think that's going to be a winning program for us. This is a partnership that we can really build on.”