Chevron donated $150,000 to a new bachelor's degree program in engineering offered through a Mississippi State University and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College partnership, school officials announced.

Engineering on the Coast will use the funds to purchase lab equipment for the four-year program.

"This gift will have a big impact on the future of this project. The funds will help establish a thermo-fluids laboratory to provide state-of-the-art training to students," Jason Keith, dean of MSU's James Worth Bagley College of Engineering, said in a recent study.

"It's exciting to think about all of the potential and the benefits this partnership between Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Mississippi State University will bring to students in Jackson County and throughout the Gulf Coast region. This program will make a world-class engineering education more accessible for so many students," said Bruce Chinn, general manager of Chevron's Pascagoula Refinery.

MSU President Mark E. Keenum and MGCCC President Mary S. Graham said they were grateful for the generous gift.

"We appreciate the generosity of Chevron Pascagoula and Chevron Gulf of Mexico in supporting this new initiative. They recognize the impact this program will have in producing engineering graduates to meet the needs of business and industry throughout the Gulf Coast region," Keenum said.

Graham added that MGCCC strives to offer students the best opportunities for achieving their educational goals close to home.

"Our partnership with Mississippi State University and Chevron is opening doors for our students to a baccalaureate degree in engineering, where they can learn in world-class laboratories that will prepare them for the workplace," Graham said.

The program is located at MGCCC's Jackson County Campus.