Haas Foundation presents $40K grant to MCC technology program
MCC Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program students, MCC President Dr. Tom Huebner, MCC Dean of Workforce Education Lori Smith, Gene Haas Foundation Director Kathy Looman, and MCC Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program Coordinator and Instructor
Brian Warren gather to celebrate the grant announcement.
The Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program at Meridian Community College received another post-secondary grant of $40,000 from the Gene Haas Foundation.
This gift marks the seventh year Haas has presented a grant to the MCC program.
The donation will help scholarship students who do not qualify for total federal aid and assist with other non-covered scholarships. In addition, the grant can also be used to purchase small tools for students as gifts from the Gene Haas Foundation.
In 2020, the Gene Haas Foundation awarded a $250,000 grant to MCC to complete funding the all-new CNC lab for the College's Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program. The lab is named the Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Center.
College officials are grateful for the gift and consider the Gene Haas Foundation an industry ally. Brian Warren, program coordinator and instructor of the Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program, is thankful for the continued support of the foundation. “The Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program is currently at maximum enrollment, and there are many students in the program who do not qualify for financial aid who would not be able to attend if not for Haas Foundation Scholarships,” he said.
Warren added, “The students and I are proud to be a Gene Haas namesake program and we consider it an honor to turn out some of the best CNC operators and machinists in Mississippi."
MCC President Dr. Tom Huebner said the collaboration with Haas plays an important role in enhancing the program. "These resources, along with our top-notch facility, faculty, and job prospects for graduates, help us stand out as a leading program. We're genuinely grateful for those who support and invest in MCC."
The College's Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program offers one-year and two-year study opportunities with three levels of completion, including an associate of applied science degree.
Haas Automation Inc., America's leading builder of CNC machine tools, started in 1983 and is now a billion-dollar company. The primary mission of the Gene Haas Foundation is to partner with schools and organizations to expose students to careers in manufacturing and provide the means for them to pursue those opportunities.
Visit meridiancc.edu/precisionmachining for more information.