Representatives from Georgia Pacific joined Â鶹ֱ²¥ President Dr. Jesse Smith and Executive Vice President of Advancement Sabrina Young to celebrate the continued growth of the Georgia Pacific Endowed Scholarship.
ELLISVILLE – The path from the classroom to the workforce often begins with strong partnerships, and Georgia Pacific is helping ensure Â鶹ֱ²¥ students have every opportunity to succeed.
Representatives from Georgia Pacific visited Â鶹ֱ²¥ on June 18 to meet with students, tour technical education programs and reaffirm the company’s commitment to workforce development through an expanded investment in the Georgia Pacific Endowed Scholarship.
During the visit, Georgia Pacific announced an additional $1,500 contribution to the scholarship for the 2026-2027 academic year, bringing the endowment to $25,000. Company representatives also shared their commitment to continue annual contributions while the scholarship corpus grows, ensuring the fund will provide financial assistance to Â鶹ֱ²¥ students for years to come.
The Georgia Pacific Endowed Scholarship supports students pursuing careers in welding, electrical technology, electromechanical technology, automotive technology, mechanical engineering technology, computer-aided design engineering and other technical fields that are critical to Mississippi’s workforce.
Following a welcome presentation, representatives toured Â鶹ֱ²¥’s Welding Technology, Automotive Technology and Advanced Technology Center programs, where they met with students and faculty and saw firsthand the hands-on training taking place across campus.
Georgia Pacific representatives visited with Â鶹ֱ²¥ Welding Technology students and faculty during a tour highlighting the college’s workforce training programs.
Â鶹ֱ²¥ Vice President of Instruction Rod Tolbert said partnerships with companies like Georgia Pacific play an important role in preparing students for careers in today’s manufacturing and industrial sectors.
“Most of these plants are designed to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Tolbert said. “Inevitably, something is going to break. Welding, electrical work and every aspect of industrial maintenance are critical to keeping those operations running. These trades are only becoming more necessary.”
Tolbert said Â鶹ֱ²¥ works closely with business and industry to ensure students graduate with the skills employers need.
“It’s hard to find the skill sets that industry is built on,” Tolbert said. “Â鶹ֱ²¥ is here to work with companies by making great employees into great skilled laborers.”
During the tour, Welding Technology instructor Ethan Wimberly demonstrated the college’s training facilities and highlighted the hands-on experience students receive before entering the workforce. Automotive Technology instructor Barry Bradshaw showcased the program’s automotive and machine shop labs, while Jennifer Griffith shared information about Â鶹ֱ²¥’s workforce development programs at the Advanced Technology Center and discussed new initiatives designed to meet the evolving needs of local industries.
As Mississippi’s workforce needs continue to grow, partnerships between Â鶹ֱ²¥ and industry leaders like Georgia Pacific help ensure students are equipped with the knowledge, technical skills and real-world experience needed to succeed while providing employers with a pipeline of highly trained professionals.
Georgia Pacific representatives visited with students in Greg Griffith’s Electrical Technology program during a tour of Â鶹ֱ²¥’s technical education and workforce training programs.