Arkansas State University-Mountain Home Awarded $450,000 Grant for Extrusion and Injection Molding Program

Arkansas State University-Mountain Home (ASUMH) will receive $450,000 from the Delta Workforce Grant Program through the Delta Regional Authority to establish an extrusion and injection molding program. The announcement, made on March 28 by the Delta Regional Authority, is part of a $10 million investment in projects across eight states through the Delta Workforce Grant Program (DWP).  The grants address the employment and training needs of the local and regional workforce, created in collaboration with community partners and aligned with existing economic and workforce development plans and strategies.

About the announcement, ASUMH Chancellor Dr. Bentley Wallace said, “This significant grant award from the Delta Regional Authority is another indication that ASUMH is a leader in advanced manufacturing. These funds will allow for expanded and enhanced technology in extrusion and injection molding, and world-class workforce development for employers in our region will improve through these investments.  ASUMH is excited to contribute local resources to match this critical educational infrastructure grant.”

The extrusion and injection molding training this grant will provide industry-driven training and workforce development in the Twin Lakes Area.  “There are several companies in our area that use extrusion and plastic injection molding,” added Dean Karen Heslep of ASUMH’s School of Business and Technology.  “This DRA grant, combined with donations from Baxter and Danfoss, provides the resources needed to add curriculum to our existing programs so ASUMH graduates have the skills in using and maintaining this machinery.  Partnerships with industry, such as these with Baxter and Danfoss, are the key to our being awarded grant funds.”

The training, which will take place at ASUMH's Dr. Robert L. Myers Technical Education Campus, is designed to give ASUMH students the tools they need to be successful in a manufacturing career.  Heslep added, “These partnerships benefit our students through hands-on training, using the same equipment in use in our local manufacturing facilities, giving them a leg-up over job applicants without expertise and positioning them for promotions.” 

Designed in response to a request from manufacturers and hand-in-hand with the technology they use, ASUMH addresses employment and training needs of the local and regional workforce.  The new training will be available in the 2024-2025 academic year and the classes will apply toward a degree in Mechatronics.

For more information on the new extrusion and injection molding program, contact Dean Karen Heslep at (870) 508- 6185 or email kheslep@asumh.edu.