Lincoln Trail College got a donation of $100,000 from the Marathon Petroleum Corporation so that they could build a new tech center. The center will have the process technology, broadband telecom, and welding programs. Marathon has a need for people to fill these positions so it makes sense for them to donate this money as they will probably make it back from future productivity increases. This new building will be helpful to any students who want to take these classes or have careers in one of the three subjects. This center has been planned to be built for more than 20 years now, but with this donation it can finally be fully realized. The building time is expected to be around 18 months, and when it is completed students can begin taking their classes at a much newer and nicer building than they could previously. LTC also plans to use this new building for local high school students.
I believe that this new building will be a wonderful addition for college and high school students alike. Many people that I know have either taken classes such as welding or want to do so. Even though Marathon is clearly profiting off of this, in the end I still think that the donation was very kind of them as it will immensely help not just students but faculty as well. It may even lead to more people wanting to take these classes which would mean it’s even helping people who aren’t currently thinking about furthering their education.
“This is how we build a workforce pipeline that actually works,” said President Ambrose, which is something that I personally agree with.
This could even make the economy in the area better if only slightly. I hope that this building will be taken care of and I am excited to see how the construction goes when it starts later this year.
