CSCC Tech Department Receives $150,000 Grant

From CSCC

The Cleveland State Technology Department recently received $150,000 in funding through the National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education (ATE) Grant for students in Electro-Mechanical Fields.

The grant will enable the college to enhance and strengthen the college’s electro-mechanical program. This will include the addition of new courses and the revision of others to prepare students for real world experiences and address the future labor shortage within the electronic and mechanical technology fields.

“Hopefully, by revising and updating the curriculum, this will get us more in line with today’s business and industry manufacturing environment,” stated CSCC Technology Instructor Allan Gentry.

“The ATE Grant originated when our grant specialist, Michelle Anderson, was watching for opportunities to come available and this was one she brought to our attention. Once we found out more information, we were definitely interested,” stated Gentry.

The new grant will allow the Technology Department to purchase hands-on teaching equipment to respond to training needs for highly skilled employees in business and industry. The equipment will include portable programmable logic controllers (PLC), portable hydraulic and pneumatic and related software that will be incorporated in the electro-mechanical coursework.

CSCC Lab Technician David Laman said, “We are trying to prepare our students for the future and with this grant, we will be able to.”

Another part of the grant is to recruit students from the middle and high schools in the Cleveland State service area through open houses, dual enrollment courses and other methods into the electro-mechanical field. One way CSCC will be able to do this is by funding approximately 28 scholarships to both prospective and current students through the ATE Grant. Of the available scholarships, 10 will go to underrepresented students including minorities, women and students with disabilities. Another 10 will go to students who have competed in the Skills USA Competition or similar competitions in which they have been outstanding performers in their related fields, and eight will go to traditional students.

CSCC Technology Instructor John Hannah said, “In the newspaper, they are always talking about the shortfall in Tennessee’s revenue and the Tennessee Board of Regents’ (TBR) proposal to raise tuition, but this grant gives us an opportunity to get some money to upgrade equipment and encourage students to come to school here, and it also helps the college by not having to spend revenue it doesn’t have.”

CSCC has combined the electrical and the mechanical programs into one major program of study and the program will offer coursework that will allow students to take extra courses to concentrate within the specific fields. “Traditionally, the electrical workers and the mechanical workers were in stand-alone fields of work. Some companies have now tried to combine those skills from a maintenance point of view because it’s rare, if ever, that you’ll go to do some maintenance work on a mechanical piece of equipment that is not driven by an electrical power source,” stated Gentry.

“Having a working knowledge of more than your main field is absolutely crucial with safety,” stated Hannah.

Dr. Frank McKenzie, CSCC’s Dean of Business and Technology, said, “I’m excited about this grant. It would not have been possible without the hard work of Allan (Gentry), David (Laman), and John (Hannah). Between the three of them, they have over 100 years of industrial experience that they are bringing to the table that is really going to be beneficial with this program.” Gentry worked for TVA for 28 years. Laman worked for several local companies and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (I.B.E.W.) for 40 years, and Hannah worked for American Uniform for 34 years. All three are graduates of Cleveland State.

Cleveland State’s Industrial Technology program is accredited by the National Association of Industrial Technology. For more information about this program or the ATE Grant, please contact Allan Gentry at (423) 472-7141, ext. 447.

Pictured: The Cleveland State Technology Department recently received $150,000 in funding through the National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education (ATE) Grant for Engineering Students in Electro-Mechanical Fields. From left to right: (front row) CSCC Technology Instructors Allan Gentry, David Laman and CSCC Dean of Business and Technology Frank McKenzie. (back row) CSCC President Carl Hite and CSCC Technology Instructor John Hannah.