Gene Haas Foundation Supports NCC Scholarship Program
The Nash Community College Foundation recently received a $15,000 gift from the Gene Haas Foundation. These funds will be used to support the NCC Foundation scholarship program.
Scholarships will be given to students currently enrolled in or who will be enrolling in a machining-based training program at Nash Community College. Students in the Computer Integrated Machining or Engineering programs at NCC will benefit from this generous gift.
“This is an exciting time as the campus expands to service growing student expectations and career preparation,” said Dr. Bill Carver, NCC president. “The College is committed to being a good steward of the Gene Haas Foundation’s investment in student success and we are very appreciative of the Foundation’s recognition of our efforts to prepare students for relevant, real-world careers.”
Nash Community College, together with the Gene Haas Foundation, is committed to providing educational opportunities that in turn prepare students for successful college transfer and rewarding careers. Through investments like this along with quality instruction, support, services, technology, work force development, research, and community partnerships, Nash Community College fosters lifelong learning opportunities for individuals, communities, and organizations.
The Nash Community College Foundation, Inc. was established in 1983 to increase community awareness, raise funds for the student scholarship program, and to help meet the needs of Nash Community College. These resources ensure that deserving students have the financial capability to take advantage of the quality instruction and higher educational opportunities the College provides. Though the College’s tuition is considered to be reasonable, scholarships are critical to helping many students who wish to attend college but have very limited resources. Nash Community College receives hundreds of scholarship applications each year but is only able to assist a limited number of students. As the cost of education continues to rise, more scholarships are needed to truly make the difference in helping students reach their personal and professional goals.
In 1999 Gene Haas founded the Gene Haas Foundation. Growing up with a strong social conscience instilled by his family, Haas initially formed the foundation to fund the needs of the local community and other deserving charities. Haas is the owner Haas Automation, Inc., America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools, which he started in 1983. Haas Automation is a now a billion dollar company and this extraordinary growth has all come in an era when American’s were being told that the United States doesn’t manufacture anything anymore. Those perceptions and decisions made in our education system regarding vocational education have led to dire statistics. A recent report called The Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing 2015 and Beyond projects that, “over the next decade, nearly three and a half million manufacturing jobs will likely need to be filled, and the skills gap is expected to result in 2 million of those jobs going unfilled.” Gene’s commitment to the importance of U.S. 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. Grants are also funded that help some strong technical programs that teach these skills grow and expand.
In the photo: The Nash Community College Foundation recently received a $15,000 gift from the Gene Haas Foundation to support the NCC Foundation scholarship program. Pictured from left: NCC Computer-Integrated Machining Instructor Alex Barnhill, NCC President Dr. Bill Carver, NCC Foundation Executive Director Pat Ellis Daniels, Phillips Corporation Sales Engineer Steve Price and NCC Computer-Integrated Machining Instructor George Shook.
