(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)July 12, 2000

A Leading National Mail Order Firm Endows Perpetual Scholarship Program Combining Tuition, Paid Internships and Job Opportunities After Graduation

(Mahwah) – Haband Company, Inc., a national mail order house of men’s and women’s apparel based in Oakland, New Jersey, and its president and chief executive, Duke Habernickel, have together pledged $420,000 to start the Haband Oaks Scholarship Program for Ramapo College upperclassmen demonstrating financial need. Scholarships from the program, believed to be the largest corporate scholarship endowment at any state college or teaching university in New Jersey, will be awarded for the first time this fall. Also setting it apart from other programs, the Haband Oaks Scholarship provides 80 percent tuition coverage for two students during their junior and senior years, paid on-the-job-training in their field during school terms, summers and breaks, and possible post-graduation job opportunities for participants.

“My parents, who founded Haband 75 years ago, could never afford college themselves, but in those days, hard work was enough to make oneself a success. Today, international trade and corporate job requirements take so much more. With our own history in mind, we feel a real duty to help high-energy young people with limited financial resources to develop as business leaders of tomorrow,” Mr. Habernickel said.

“Haband is leading the way in New Jersey for corporate scholarship endowment by creating a program for perpetuity as well as a comprehensive “learn and earn” initiative of experiential learning,” commented Dr. Robert Scott, president of Ramapo College. “It is also unprecedented for a family-owned business to provide our institution with this level of support.”

Haband Oaks will award its first scholarship for the fall 2000. Starting in 2001, two scholarships will be awarded each term, with selection based on professional commitment, academic performance, financial need and career focus. Application information is available from the Cahill Center at Ramapo, (201) 684-7449, or the Ramapo College Foundation, (201) 684-7611.

“While giving students a full program of tuition coverage, additional income, on-the-job training and career opportunities, Haband Oaks will also help us draw upon the student base at Ramapo for our future management resources,” Mr. Habernickel added.

“Duke and I are especially thrilled at the way this arrangement can build on a mutual interest and specialty in international business at Ramapo College and Haband” said Dr. Scott, who has significantly expanded experiential learning and internship programs during his 15-year tenure at Ramapo. “Ramapo has a nationally recognized program of international business, and Haband is a perfect example of an American business for whom competing in foreign markets has become a major strength and priority.”

A leading direct retailer of moderate-priced men’s and ladies’ apparel, Haband was founded in Paterson, New Jersey in 1925 and moved its headquarters to Oakland, New Jersey in 1999. While Haband’s original suppliers, the silk mills of Paterson, were all extremely local, today the firm is importing over $100 million worth of clothing each year from countries all over the world, in addition to buying garments from domestic manufacturers.

“International resourcing is a fact of life in the garment business today, and we are committed to helping train American business people to compete in this difficult environment,” noted Mr. Habernickel.

“We based the “Haband Oaks” name on our commitment to the community in the Oakland area and to tie in with another Haband human resources initiative,” Mr. Habernickel explained. “Specifically, our ‘Acorn’ management training program brings our most promising new recruits through an accelerated program of company-wide training, responsibility and mentor support. We believe that ‘mighty oaks from acorns grow.’ Haband Oaks aims to develop our ‘oaks’ of the future.”

As part of the learning experience provided by the Haband Oaks program, Haband will work with Ramapo faculty to tailor awardees’ employment assignments with their curriculum choices and also to tailor their course of study to their career interests at Haband, according to Mr. Habernickel. For example, if an international business student wanted to work in Haband’s overseas buying operations, the company would consult with the student’s advisor about international finance courses to complement this experiential learning. Likewise, if a computer sciences student awarded the scholarship began building local area networks at Haband, he or she could be offered specific Ramapo coursework in that field, consistent with the requirements of his or her degree.

In addition to its Oakland base, Haband has distribution and customer service facilities in Georgia and Pennsylvania and retail stores throughout the East Coast. With its strong general market share for men’s and ladies’ moderate-priced apparel sold through direct mail, it is notable that Haband sells more than half of the pants delivered through the mail to American men over age 65 today. Haband sells about a half million garments each week.

Ramapo College of New Jersey, designated by the state legislature as New Jersey’s public liberal arts college, prepares students for an increasingly interdependent and multicultural world at the bachelor’s and master’s levels through liberal arts, sciences, professional fields, and both study abroad and international internships. The College has state-of-the-art centers for performing and visual arts, and telecommunications. Ramapo, was recently named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top three public liberal arts colleges in the north.

Fred Damiano, executive vice president of Haband Company, is a member of Ramapo College’s Board of Governors. Mr. Habernickel is a former member of the college’s Board of Governors.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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