Photo and story contributed by SUSCC

The Advanced Manufacturing Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machining program at Southern Union State Community College has received a grant for $12,500 from the Gene Haas Foundation. The grant will provide financial assistance in the form of scholarships to students who plan to pursue a career in advanced manufacturing. Southern Union is grateful to have the support of the Gene Haas Foundation as it (SUSCC) prepares students for success in this rewarding career.

The Gene Haas Foundation was created by its namesake, Gene Haas, the owner of California-based Haas Automation and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. Haas began this foundation in 1999 to fund the needs of the local community and other deserving charities. His commitment to the importance of manufacturing in the United States incited him to grow his personal foundation and direct his foundation board to focus on manufacturing education and grants for scholarships for students entering the field.

Southern Union is proud to partner with manufacturing leaders, such as the Gene Haas Foundation, to ensure our technical training programs are offering 21st century machining skills.

The scholarships supported by this donation will provide opportunities to deserving students who are enthusiastic about pursuing machining as a career. Additionally, this will help to construct a pipeline of skilled technicians for the manufacturing companies in East Alabama and beyond.

The gift will be used to fund scholarships for students demonstrating financial need and enrolled full-time in the CNC machining program at Southern Union. Students in the program will be learning to program and operate CNC mills and lathes as they prepare for their careers in machining with local manufacturing companies.

“I want to thank the Gene Haas Foundation and the Haas Team for their partnership,” said Darin Baldwin, dean of technical education and workforce development. “We have great instructors; great students, and it is great partners like Haas who are dedicated to education that help ensure our students are successful in developing their careers. Together, we make a difference in workforce development in manufacturing.”

Individuals interested in the Advanced Manufacturing program with a concentration in Machining and applying for a Gene Haas scholarship should visit the Southern Union website and fill out the Gene Haas Scholarship application posted under the scholarships tab.