Jackson State University is the recipient of a $75,000 donation by Nissan to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) training.
President Carolyn W. Meyers accepted the gift during a ceremony Friday at the Nissan auto plant in Canton.
“This is significant evidence of Nissan’s commitment to our community and our partnership to provide opportunities to the best and the brightest of our students to contribute to the workforce of our state,” Meyers said.
The donation was among $250,000 given to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by Nissan on Friday.
“There is no better gift that we can give as good corporate citizens than an education for our workforce,” said Jeffrey Webster, director of Diversity and Inclusion at Nissan.
Among those at the ceremony was 2nd District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS). He wished “a long and fruitful marriage between Nissan and HBCUs.”
“I am a strong proponent of HBCUs,” Thompson said. “I am very proud of the work our HBCUs are doing to develop the scientists, engineers and innovators of tomorrow.”
“As one of the largest manufacturers in our state, Nissan understands the need to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s opportunities. I applaud their demonstrated commitment to our community and look forward to their continued support in the future,” Thompson said.
Prior to the ceremonies, Meyers and College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) Dean Dr. Richard Alo mixed with other dignitaries and guests, including a JSU grad and others with Nissan and JSU connections.
Ahmad Faizi, a JSU grad and system engineer with Nissan, chatted with Meyers. His brother, Kahma Faizi, is a senior in civil engineering who is a co-op student with Nissan. In addition, they have one sister, Saddat, who is an instructor and graduate students in math at JSU, and another sister, Sohlia, who is a JSU sophomore in business.
“I tell all my friends at Jackson State to apply for a job,” said Ahmad Faizi.
Also on hand were two other JSU grads who hold positions with Nissan: Tosha Garner, a 1993 graduate and Nissan human resources manager, and Melinda Heath, a 1992 graduate who oversees STEM hiring at Nissan.
Representatives attended from other schools, including: Alcorn State University, Coahoma Community College, Mississippi Valley State University, Rust College and Tougaloo College.
Resources provided to each institution will be used to promote a range of STEM-related programs and departments including applied sciences, engineering, math, computer and information science and many more.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan’s second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.9 million vehicles in 2012, generating revenue of 9.4 trillion yen ($US118.95 billion) in fiscal 2011.
The meeting was held at the Murano room of the Canton plant. The Murano is produced in Canton as the global source for the vehicle to more than 100 markets.
For more about Nissan, see: https://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.