Emily Ray, 270-824-8581, emily.ray@kctcs.edu

MADISONVILLE, Ky.--Madisonville Community College and college President Dr. Judy Rhoads have announced that Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc. in Graham, Ky., has committed a five-year, $50,000 pledge to the Fulfilling the Promise Gifts Campaign. 

Eighty percent of the overall gift will be designated to increased scholarship opportunities for Muhlenberg and Hopkins County residents, particularly those students who are strong in math and engineering, while 20 percent will be reserved to support MCC's School Counts! workforce/scholarship program.

School Counts! scholarships are reserved for graduates of the three high schools located in Hopkins County, where a significant percentage of Ensign-Bickford's employees live. The gift is one of the 25 largest the college has received during the five-year Fulfilling the Promise effort, and the portion designated to School Counts! is one of the 22 largest designations to the program since its inception in 2004. The entire gift will be endowed so that it can permanently support student success.

John Shober, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc. said, "We are pleased to make this renewed commitment to Madisonville Community College, which further strengthens our own partnership with the college. We consider MCC a critical resource to the community and we are proud to be counted among its leadership supporters."

Dr. Rhoads was thrilled with the pledge, stating, "Ensign Bickford has supported Madisonville Community College for the past two decades. The company provided a $28,000 gift to the 1990s fund-raising effort in Muhlenberg County to support construction of our off-campus site. The company has also supported numerous workforce development training initiatives, and has hired several of our graduates since 1999. Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense also works closely and cooperatively with MCC's Center for Lean Excellence."

A classroom in the Joe C. Davis Science Building has been named for Ensign-Bickford Industries in recognition of the pledge, and the company will be included in all appropriate School Counts! media and recognition materials as a major donor to that specific program.

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense, a subsidiary of Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc., operates a manufacturing facility in nearby Graham, Ky., and produces a wide range of explosive and energetic items.