Pratt Institute Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Marc Rosen Scholarship and Education Fund for Packaging by Design at Annual Gala

L to R: Pratt Institute President Thomas F. Schutte, Chief Marketing Officer for Mary Kay Inc. Sheryl Adkins-Green, host Deborah Norville, and Marc Rosen. The Art of Packaging Award Gala, a glamorous annual event that celebrates excellence in packaging design, was held May 6 at a private club in Manhattan. The event, which was attended by 250 guests, benefits the Marc Rosen Scholarship and Education Fund for Packaging by Design at Pratt Institute. Emceed by Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville, the event marked 25 years of the Fund, which has helped raise more than $3.5 million for scholarships for graduate packaging design students at Pratt.

Sheryl Adkins-Green, chief marketing officer for Mary Kay Inc., accepted the Art of Packaging Award, which honors the art form of package design, on behalf of the beauty brand.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by Pratt Institute and to have been selected for this prestigious recognition by Marc Rosen,” said Adkins-Green. “I am struck by the values and philosophies that Marc and Mary Kay share. First is a commitment to changing lives. The second connection is sales: high impact packaging design is essential to creating products that are easy to love and easy to sell. The third is appreciation of inner and outer beauty.”

Marc Rosen, an award-winning designer, and Pratt alumnus, trustee emeritus, and faculty member, was also presented with a special citation from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo that celebrated Rosen’s 25 years of support to emerging packaging designers.

The only scholarship in the world available to graduate students looking to pursue careers in cosmetics and packaging design, the Marc Rosen Scholarship has helped nearly 200 Pratt students, many of whom have become industry leaders. The winners of this year’s Marc Rosen Scholarship are Chenchen Hu (M.S. Package Design ’14), Tonya Oberlender (M.S. Package Design ’13), Jessica Vande Werken (M.S. Package Design ’13), and Ivy Chen (M.S. Package Design ’13).

Text: Amy Aronoff, Ruth Samuelson
Image: Patrick McMullan Photography