Chattanooga State Community College had the pleasure of honoring two incredible partners for their Excellence in Philanthropy. “We are recognizing both organizations for their commitment to generosity, leadership and especially, to our students,” said Chattanooga State President Dr. Rebecca Ashford in her opening address.

Dr. Kim McCormick, Vice Chancellor for External Affairs, TBR, recognized the Card-Monroe Corporation with the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy for having made a difference in the lives of Chattanooga State students. “It is because of business partnerships like this that technical and community college programs are so valuable to the communities we are privileged to be able to serve,” stated McCormick. 

Card-Monroe provides multiple student apprenticeships and a key employee to teach in the Engineering Technology Department, as well as to serve on advisory boards. They recently donated $100,000 to the Chattanooga State Foundation to establish a dedicated manufacturing lab in the Center for Engineering, Technology, Arts and Sciences (CETAS)building offering students the experience to work with the latest advanced manufacturing equipment. In addition, “Card-Monroe has helped the college purchase specialized training software for engineering technology students, and they have hired our graduates over the years – they invest time, expertise and resources,” added McCormick.

Accepting the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Philanthropy for Card-Monroe Corporation were Charles Monroe, Chief Executive Officer, Brad Card, President, and Allen Neely, Vice President of Operations.

Next, TBR Regent Tom Griscom presented the 2019 Regents Award for Excellence in Philanthropy to Jimmy Lail, Immediate Past Chairman, Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee (AGC) with Raines Bros. Construction. 

At a critical time in the process of expanding the largest building on campus, the Chattanooga State Foundation received $150,000 from the AGC of East Tennessee to fund a new construction lab in the CETAS Building. In addition, AGC of East Tennessee issued a corporate challenge to assist in raising more funds. As a direct result of their leadership, the college received an additional $300,000 in corporate support and leveraged nearly two million in new money for the CETAS Building renovations and equipment. 

As a genuine educational partner, AGC of East Tennessee members are engaged in college and technical advisory boards at Chattanooga State while providing community workforce training solutions in partnership with Chattanooga State’s Economic and Workforce Development Division.

For more information on becoming a Chattanooga State philanthropic partner, please contact Nancy Patterson, Vice President of College Advancement and Public Relations, at (423) 697-2630.