Saxonburg-based II-VI Inc. will contribute $1 million during 2021 to encourage and enable students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics while maintaining a standard of excellence in that pursuit.

These contributions will be made to the II-VI Foundation, a private nonprofit whose two primary programs are block gifts for graduate students and undergraduate student scholarships, and the funds will further the company’s environmental, social and governance initiatives.

Since 2007, the II-VI Foundation has awarded more than $29 million to STEM students in the form of scholarships, block-gift funding for research projects and funding for mini conferences, along with early education initiatives and postdoctoral fellowships.

More than 16,600 students have received awards from the foundation over the years, with 67 Ph.D. degrees and 41 M.S. degrees awarded to students participating in foundation-supported research at 35 institutions of higher learning.

“This is the first of our new ESG initiatives to be launched in 2021. Our founder and first CEO, Dr. Carl J. Johnson, with persistence, patience and a bold vision, laid the groundwork for innovations in materials and manufacturing that are underpinning changes in the world,” said Vincent D. Mattera Jr., II-VI CEO.

Carl J. Johnson, chairman of the board of the II-VI Foundation, said the company’s contributions add to the celebration of its 50th anniversary.

“It is with deep satisfaction that two of my most significant and lifelong endeavors are coming together on this golden anniversary to buttress each other, with a strong sense of common purpose, and to perpetuate around the world the cycle of learning, innovation and growth far into the future and for generations to come,” he said.