NEWS RELEASE
May 18, 2010 Contact: Frank Murray, 542-4835
Columbia Basin College will receive a $120,000 grant for scholarships for its nuclear technology program from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The funding is the same amount received last year by CBC from the federal agency. The grant will fund approximately 23 scholarships.
CBC began the program in fall 2009 without state funding. The College partnered with Energy Northwest, Washington River Protection Solutions, CH2M-Hill Plateau Remediation Company, and Mission Support Alliance.
The two-year program provides an Associate of Applied Science in Nuclear Technology degree with an Instrumentation and Control option. CBC President Richard Cummins says without state funding, its the partners that make the program go.
“The CBC Nuclear Technology program exists because of our partners, both public and private, who provide critical resources. The NRC grant will aid students and the community by filling the pipeline to replace the large number of nuclear workers.”
Energy Northwest CEO, Vic Parrish, says “CBC’s program will help ensure that many more people get a chance to enter a profession that is vital to our country’s energy future.”
The grant is part of $15 million to 59 institutions for nuclear education from the NRC.