Albemarle Corp. and the Albemarle Foundation-Magnolia Council have donated $100,000 to Southern Arkansas University for an endowment to provide annual resources for equipment, technology and instruction to the school's College of Science and Engineering.
The funds will help ensure that faculty members have the best resources to train students for the workplace, officials said.
"Our partnerships with Albemarle are so important, not just for students, but for our entire region," SAU President Trey Berry said in a news release. "We could not have strong programs in many areas of our campus without Albemarle's generous and gracious support."
"Albemarle is proud to continue its partnership with SAU and particularly the Department of Engineering," said Jason Bevan, Magnolia plant manager. "SAU's commitment to establishing a first-rate engineering program in Columbia County is of tremendous importance to the long-term viability of industry in the region. Albemarle welcomes the opportunity to support the sustainability of this region's technical workforce and contribute to such a valuable asset of this community."
SAU science and engineering Dean Abdel Bachri said the gift will allow the engineering department to "constantly improve instrumentation that enables us to bring theoretical concepts to the lab environment for testing by students."
Albemarle Corp. is a chemical company with headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. The company employs about 5,400 people.
SAU, which is based in Magnolia, has about 4,468 students, according to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
Metro on 01/07/2019