State and Local Dignitaries Descend on MCC to Thank Siemens for $315 Million Manufacturing Grant

From left to right: MCC Manufacturing student Piotr Kluba, James Menego, Gov. Dannel Malloy, and Board of Regents President Mark Ojakian pose together for a photo opportunity. Photo by James Lancy.

By Penina Beede
Live Wire Staff Writer

Manchester Community College is one of four schools whose manufacturing programs will benefit from a $315 million grant from Siemens, a global technology company. The grant includes manufacturing and design software. A reception held on the evening of March 27 celebrated the gift with CSCU officials and the governor in attendance.

Four of the community colleges will receive access to Siemens’ Product Lifecycle Management software as part of their Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centers. According to a statement released by MCC, the grant will expand to all 12 of Connecticut’s community colleges in the next 18 months.

MCC President Gena Glickman praised the company.

“Nothing is like this gift,” said Glickman. “This is an incredibly valuable and generous donation we’re celebrating today that is really going to be life-changing for our students and our community.”

Tunxis President Catherine Addy speaks about her journey to receiving the manufacturing grant as Governor Dannel Malloy (left) and James Menego look on. Photo by James Lancy.

Tunxis Community College President Cathryn Addy said she had worked with a Siemens employee in 2009 and was initially contacted about the possibility of a gift of this nature in 2015. She nurtured the relationship into the grant.

“This reinforces a lesson I learned when I moved to New England,” she said at the reception. “You never know who’s related to whom, and you never know who you’re going to run into again.”

Corporate responsibility is also what led to the grant, said Siemens Vice President James Menego.

“At Siemens, we believe that closing the skill gap starts with industry educators and policy-makers working together to place a focus on training-based curriculum,” he said.

The evening included a demonstration of the newly installed Siemens PLM software in MCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Center. Gov. Dannel Malloy said bulking up the manufacturing industry in Connecticut is a priority.

“All of this is an effort to catch up to where we should have been all along,” said Malloy. “And that is supporting our advanced manufacturing industry here in Connecticut.”

MCC President Gena Glickman (right) and James Menego humorously play around with the CNC Milling machines in the Manufacturing lab. Photo by James Lancy.