In an interview with The Associated Press , Pagano said : " It ' s a little bit of being genuine , a little bit of self-interest … This is probably the best way to get people to actually focus on the issues that we ' re trying to write about ." However shortly after the interview the scholarships were removed from the website without explanation . Gregory Conley , head of the American Vaping Association , said the move was comparable to drinks companies offering scholarships to students and said it allowed companies to boost their brands while helping students at the same time . This new trend has not been universally well-received , especially by those working in universities , who see it as a glorified marketing tactic and an uncomfortable fusion of corporate and academic spheres . Harvard and California State University at Long Beach have since removed the scholarship listings from their websites , saying they had been posted inadvertently . CSU Long Beach spokesman Jeff Bliss said : “ We ’ re not interested in being a platform for tobacco or vaping .” Ron Berman , Assistant Professor of Marketing at Wharton University of Pennsylvania said : " This is almost a backdoor way to get your name on a university website , and from the point of view of the student , it would look like the university is supporting this effort ." Gregg Haifley from the American Cancer Society said vape companies were “ trying to use youth as their marketing surrogates ” and said the move was all about marketing .
“ THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST WAY TO GET PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY FOCUS ON THE ISSUES THAT WE ' RE TRYING TO WRITE ABOUT ”
The scholarship idea , although new to vaping , emerged several years ago as a means to boost Google search results rankings by getting websites linked on “ high authority ” university or government sites . Vaping is getting into the hallowed halls of prestigious institutions on the ground floor , but the direct involvement of vape businesses in this entry point will continue to be debated , and the full effects of such scholarship programmes are yet to be seen
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