Sedalia, Missouri – Sept. 29, 2022 –The State Fair Community College Foundation recently received a $40,000 donation from the Gene Haas Foundation for the college’s Precision Machining Technology program. The Gene Haas Foundation’s primary goal is to provide financial assistance for students interested in manufacturing-based careers.
SFCC’s relationship with the Haas Foundation developed about eight years ago when the college purchased nine CNC machines for its machining program from Haas Automation, Inc., headquartered in Oxnard, California. The company, founded by Gene Hass in 1983, is the largest machine tool builder in the western world, manufacturing a complete line of CNC vertical machining centers, horizontal machine centers, CNC lathes, and rotary products. (Source: haascnc.com)
“The Gene Haas Foundation has been and continues to be a great partner and supporter of high-quality manufacturing technology training around the world,” said Justin Wright, SFCC’s Precision Machining program coordinator and instructor. “We are very grateful for the Hass Foundation’s donation to help our students pay for college and honored that it would make this investment in our program and workforce.”
Haas created his foundation in 1999 because of a strong social conscience instilled in him by his family. The foundation awards grants and scholarships for CNC machinist training to high schools, community colleges and trade schools in the United States and Canada. The Gene Haas Foundation donates millions of dollars every year to manufacturing education and the community. In 2020, the Gene Haas Foundation provided more than $20 million in grants, bringing the total since inception to more than $120 million. (Source: ghaasfoundation.org)
SFCC’s Precision Machining Technology program recently moved in to part of the new Olen Howard Workforce Innovation Center and has two Haas 750SS, high-precision five-axis computer numerical cutting machines in its lab. The program offers Skills Certificates in Machinist Level I, a Professional Certificate in Machine Tool Technology, and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Manufacturing Technology with emphasis in Precision Machining Technology.
For more information about the program go to www.sfccmo.edu/machinetool or contact Wright at (660) 596-7392 or jwright4@sfccmo.edu.
