http://bangornews.com/news/t/aroostook.aspx?articleid=160429&zoneid=175Aroostook County
Presque Isle: Smith & Wesson pledges $45,000 to NMCC fund
By Jen Lynds
Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - Bangor Daily News
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine Northern Maine Community College and the NMCC Foundation surpassed their $2 million fundraising goal months ago, but the donations continue to roll in, and the latest gift has come from firearms maker Smith & Wesson, which has a plant in Houlton.
The company, which provides products and services for the safety, security, protection and sports markets, recently contributed $45,000 to the NMCC major-gifts campaign to establish the Smith & Wesson Advancement Fund. The fund is directed specifically to support the precision metals manufacturing program at the Presque Isle college, which the company said it has relied on to help meet needs for skilled workers.
The major-gifts drive known as the Campaign for the Countys College was launched a year ago by the college and the foundation to raise $2 million through this month. Its intent is to support student scholarships and instructional technology and to assist NMCC in efforts to respond quickly to community needs throughout Aroostook County.
The foundation benefits the campus community by raising and managing student scholarship funds and other special initiatives that help students receive postsecondary degrees at NMCC.
Smith & Wesson, which first opened in 1852, has a plant in Houlton that has the distinction of being the largest producer of handcuffs in the world.
Terry Wade, the Houlton plant manager for Smith & Wesson, said the company "understands the need for the [precision metals manufacturing] program and wants to ensure its longevity."
"We have many needs that are being fulfilled by NMCC," he added.
In recent years, Smith & Wesson has employed five alumni of the NMCC program upon graduation in various positions, including leading roles within the Houlton plant.
The contribution from Smith & Wesson, made to NMCC in $15,000 payments over three years, will provide additional funding for the administration and operation of the precision metals manufacturing program. The program has received significant attention and awards since its inception at NMCC, including being featured in national industry publications and attaining accreditation status last year through the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, a designation granted to only 125 schools nationwide.
NMCC President Tim Crowley expressed appreciation for the pledge, noting in a prepared statement that it not only would assist future students but also helped recognize "the efforts of the faculty, students and alumni in our precision metals manufacturing program."
"The collaborative nature of our relationship with Smith & Wesson and the resulting impact on work force and economic development in this region is exactly what we, as an institution, strive to achieve," he said.
NMCC is right across town. I might have to make a career change.
