N.C. A&T to Receive $250K Baker Hughes Foundation Grant for STEM Programs

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Dec. 7, 2022) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will receive $250,000 in grant funds from the Baker Hughes Foundation to provide financial support for a variety of STEM programs, professional certifications, scholarships and career readiness and curriculum development initiatives.

N.C. A&T is one of four historically Black college or universities (HBCUs) to receive a portion of the Baker Hughes Foundation’s $1 million grant award for the 2022-23 academic year. The grants are part of the foundation’s long-running mission to promote education and opportunity in the communities where Baker Hughes employees live and work.

This funding will be used at A&T to support critical scholarships, capstone senior design projects, student organizations and study abroad programs. The College of Engineering (COE) has added a visit to Baker Hughes’ location in Florence, Italy to its 2023 Global Engineering Leaders Program (GELP).

“As companies seek to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives into the fabric of their operating principles and practices, and include previously overlooked and often excluded talent in key leadership roles, N.C. A&T is fortunate to have alumni who passionately advocate for their alma mater,” said Tamera Ziglar, A&T’s director of corporate engagement. “The Aggies employed by Baker Hughes continue their relationship with the university through project-based collaborations, substantive engagements and mutually beneficial partnerships.”

The Baker Hughes Black Employee Network (BEN) has been instrumental in engaging with the partner HBCUs – including Prairie View A&M University, Southern University A&M College and Texas Southern University – and developing the grant program.

The Baker Hughes Foundation also issued $800,000 in grants to the four universities in 2021, with A&T receiving $185,000 that was divided between COE and the Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics.

The latest grant funding aligns with Baker Hughes’ strategy of building the energy workforce of the future and promoting a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. This donation also supports Baker Hughes’ commitment to advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – specifically SDG 4 to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

“We are proud to continue the grant program we initiated with these four universities in 2021. Our first-year contribution provided education access, professional certifications, and development opportunities to over 1,100 students,” said Regina Jones, Baker Hughes chief legal officer and member of the Baker Hughes Foundation Board of Trustees. “Our new grants will facilitate the critical work these universities do to enable future leaders.”

To learn more about Baker Hughes’ work in supporting its communities, visit its corporate responsibility website.