Clark State Community College has been awarded a $12,500 grant through the Gene Haas Foundation. The grant is available to pay student tuition for Clark State’s CNC certification through the Advanced Manufacturing program.
“This is the first time the college has received this award,” said Mary Benedict, project manager for Clark State. “The funds will be used to pay for scholarships for students pursuing the CNC Certificate and for training of instructors and administrative costs associated with NIMS (National Institute for Manufacturing Skills) certification.”
Benedict said the NIMS certification is a nationally recognized credential; certified instructors will administer CNC training tailored to the standard, and in turn, students will be prepared to sit for the NIMS certification exam.
“The impact for the school and students will be huge,” she said. “Students who otherwise would not qualify for Pell funds can be funded through this grant, and NIMS certification brings prestige to the Advanced Manufacturing program and provides a valuable, portable certificate to students.”
Clark State was selected because the program offers CNC training using HAAS equipment, and because Clark State demonstrated a need to provide scholarships to students and become a NIMS Center for Certification.
Haas, owner of Haas Automation, Inc., founded the Gene Haas Foundation in 1999 to fund the needs of the local community.
Haas Automation, Inc. is a leading builder of CNC machine tools. Haas Automation is now a billion-dollar company, and this extraordinary growth has all come in an era when American manufacturing has been on the decrease.
Haas’s commitment to the importance of US manufacturing has incited him to grow his personal foundation and direct his foundation board to focus on manufacturing education in the form of scholarships for CNC machinist training. Haas is also a primary supporter of the community where his one million square foot manufacturing facility is located.
To date, more than 4000 charitable 501(c)(3) organizations and schools have received funds totaling over $50 million from the Gene Haas Foundation.