Magnolia State News

 Haas Foundation presents $40K grant to MCC technology program

The Precision Machining 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. 

College officials are grateful for the gift and consider the Gene Haas Foundation an industry ally. 

"Our students are direct beneficiaries of their support, and this goes on to supporting Mississippi computer numerical control (CNC) machining industry and beyond by providing more qualified applicants to the labor pool," said Brian Warren, Precision Machining Program coordinator and instructor at MCC. 

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 Program. 

The lab is named the Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Center. 

"We are a Gene Haas namesake program, the only one in the state, and I consider that to be a huge honor that I take very seriously," Warren added.  

MCC President Dr. Tom Huebner noted that the partnership with Haas helps strengthen the program. 

"These resources, along with our facility, faculty, and employment opportunities for our graduates, further set us apart as a premier program," he said. 

"We genuinely appreciate those who support and invest in MCC." 

Haas' investment is very much appreciated, added MCC Workforce Solutions Vice President Joseph Knight. 

"Their support continues to help students prepare for high-demand and high-wage careers. 

HAAS is leading the way in creating partnerships between education and industry to help meet the workforce shortage demand, and we are grateful for their continued support," he said.   

The College's Precision Machining 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.

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