Gene Haas Foundation awards $12,000 Grant to SCCC students
Newton. The Gene Haas Foundation has donated $12,000 — bringing its total support to $65,000 since 2019 — to help Sussex County Community College expand its Machine Tool Technology program and prepare students for skilled manufacturing careers.
Newton /
| 11 Dec 2025 | 12:43
Pictured, from left, Jason Fruge, dean of technical studies and Mark Harris, applications engineer/education specialist at Allendale Machinery Systems.
The Gene Haas Foundation, represented by Mark Harris of Allendale Machinery, presented a $12,000 check to Jason Fruge, Dean of Technical Occupations at Sussex County Community College on Dec. 5.
According to Stan Kula, executive director of the SCCC Foundation, since 2019, the Gene Haas Foundation has contributed a total of $65,000 to offset tuition and expenses for SCCC’s Machine Tool students.
The SCCC Machine Tool Technology (MTT) program, which will change to Advanced Manufacturing, was established in 2017 with the support of community partner Thorlabs in order to meet the need for trained machinists in the area. Since its inception, the MTT program has graduated 40 students, including eight graduates in the Spring 2025 semester.
“The Machine Tool Technology Program at SCCC enables students to acquire foundational and intermediate knowledge of machining, ultimately enhancing their skills in the field. Successful graduates of the MTT program can enter the workforce as industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers, or millwrights. There are also career opportunities in the fields of construction, manufacturing, fabrication, sales, quality control, supervision, and machine-related self-employment,” Dean Jason Fruge said.
The primary focus of The Gene Haas Foundation is to build skills in the manufacturing industry by providing resources for CNC machine technology students and by giving them experience competing in team skills competitions that emphasize design, engineering, and manufacturing of CNC-machined parts.
