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Meridian Community College | Haas Customer Success Story

Meridian Community College (MCC), in Meridian, Mississippi, recently celebrated the opening of its Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Center. The all-new CNC learning lab features 9 Haas CNC machine tools and 14 Haas CNC simulators, and is anticipated to be a catalyst for growth throughout the region. A $250,000 grant was awarded to MCC from the Gene Haas Foundation to help fund the lab’s development.

The centerpieces of the CNC lab include a 5-axis Haas UMC-500SS universal machining center, and a multitasking Haas ST-30Y turning center with Y-axis and live tooling. Four additional Haas mills, two additional Haas CNC lathes, a Swiss turn lathe, a Zeiss CMM, and numerous manual lathes, mills, drill presses, and band saws round out the equipment inside the lab for hands-on learning.

“We’re extremely grateful to the Gene Haas Foundation for its generous gift,” states, Brian S. Warren, Division Chair of Industrial Technology at Meridian Community College. “This validates that our program is having a positive impact on filling the skills gap, and will help fund efforts to expand our program to include advanced courses, such as 5-axis milling, and multitasking with Y-axis turning centers.”

According to Warren, the Precision Machining Program at MCC boasts a long track record of producing quality graduates who go on to have successful careers as CNC operators and programmers. Since 2015, MCC students have won all CNC SkillsUSA competitions at the state level, with one student earning a Silver Medal at the 2019 SkillsUSA Nationals. With high-tech jobs in strong demand throughout the region, nearly all students enrolled are offered positions prior to graduation, and begin their careers immediately after.

“The Gene Haas Foundation selects the best programs in the country to apply for naming rights gifts. This award and honor show that Meridian Community College is an outstanding program, not just in Mississippi, but in the country,” says Toni Neary, Director of Education at Morris Group, Inc.’s Haas Tower. “Brian is a fantastic partner to us, and an active member in the HTEC network. He has continuously demonstrated this through his outstanding relationship with industry, and through the high quality of MCC’s graduates, and their performance in the SkillsUSA CNC competitions. Trident Southeast, the local Haas Factory Outlet, is proud to work with Meridian Community College, and we look forward to highlighting the amazing careers available, right here in Mississippi.”

MCC offers 1-year or 2-year programs, with three levels of completion, including an Associates of Applied Science Degree. In a typical year, the Precision Machining Program educates 20 full-time technical certificate and degree credit students, as well as 10 part-time evening non-credit students involved in workforce training.

High-tech jobs in Mississippi and neighboring Alabama come from a diverse range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, medical, and material handling (such as forklifts). Manufacturing hubs in the region fall within 100 miles of MCC, making it the ideal location for students and manufacturers.

Thomas M. Huebner, Jr., Ph.D., President of Meridian Community College, adds, “Support from the Gene Haas Foundation is a gamechanger for MCC and our precision machining/advanced manufacturing program. They’ve invested in scholarship dollars for our students for years, but for them to put these resources into our program is truly exciting. These resources, along with our new facility, excellent faculty, and employment opportunities for our graduates, further set us apart as a premier program, and I could not be more excited about our future.’

About Meridian Community College

Since its beginning in 1937, Meridian Community College continues to meet the diverse needs of its growing community area. In addition to a strong university transfer program, the College offers opportunities in more than 50 areas of study, which include healthcare-related fields, manufacturing-focused programs, and a wide array of career-technical curricula. Continuing education courses designed for personal and professional enrichment, student support services, cultural enrichment events, and adult basic and developmental education programs designed to equip students for expanded opportunities are also available. Its beautifully landscaped 94-plus acre campus, located near downtown Meridian at 910 Highway 19 North, hosts 46 buildings. For more information, visit www.meridiancc.edu

About the Gene Haas Foundation

The Gene Haas Foundation was established in 1999 by Haas Automation, Inc., Founder and CEO Gene Haas, to support the needs of the local community, through grants to such local charities as the Boys and Girls Clubs, Food Share, Rescue Mission, and others.

Seeing a growing need for skilled manufacturing employees, both at Haas Automation and industry wide, the Foundation expanded its mission to support manufacturing training programs throughout North America and beyond, by providing scholarship grants, sponsoring individual and team CNC competitions, and partnering with select programs to expand the availability of high-quality manufacturing technology training worldwide.

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 $17 million in grants, bringing the total since inception to more than to $100 million.

ABOUT Meridian Community College

✔ Haas machines:

9 Haas CNC machine tools & 14 Haas CNC simulators

✔ Location: Meridian, Mississippi, USA

At a check presentation in the new Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Center at MCC are Thomas Huebner, MCC president; Lori Smith, MCC dean of workforce education; Hugh Sims, account manager with Haas Factory Outlet, a division of Trident Southeast; Joseph Knight, MCC vice president for workforce solutions; Brian Warren, MCC Precision Manufacturing and Machining Program coordinator, instructor and division chair; Leia Hill, MCC vice president of advancement and executive director of the MCC Foundation; and Lucy Lamberth, MCC director of workforce grants and Development.