(MARSHALL) – Eastman Chemical Co. in Longview has solidified its partnership with Texas State Technical College.

Eastman recently contributed $20,000 to The TSTC Foundation. The money is restricted to scholarships for students in the Process Operations Technology and Industrial Controls Technology programs in Marshall.

“The scholarships pay tuition and fees for two semesters, with additional scholarships available depending on their academic and/or internship performance,” said Mike Tucker, Learning Services Technologist at Eastman.

The company also recently validated the college’s Process Operations Technology program. The validation means students in the program going to work at Eastman will be eligible to receive a higher rate of pay with the opportunity to receive top pay in their job in a year. The validation also makes TSTC graduates eligible for credit towards company training.

“It gives us more credibility to the work that we do,” said Wilson Jones, director of the Process Operations Technology program.

Eastman’s Process Technology Validation team members visited the campus in October to tour and interview faculty members and students. This program has received the validation the last five years. The team was pleased with the communication between Eastman and college staff and the alignment of the curriculum toward what the company needs for process operators.

“I think the feedback from Eastman is valuable to us, suggesting a different course to take,” Jones said. “That’s part of what we expect from our industrial partners – information that we need.”

Eastman has also donated equipment like hard hats and valves.

Eastman was founded in 1920 in Kingsport, Tenn. and has more than 15,000 employees at locations in the United States, Mexico, China, Brazil, Singapore, Japan, South Korea along with several facilities in Europe. The chemical company works with clients in the transportation, construction, agriculture and industrials and chemicals processing industries.

For more information on the Process Operations Technology and Industrial Controls Technology programs in Marshall, call New Student Admissions and Recruiting at 903-923-3207.

Apply today at tstc.edu. Registration for summer and fall semesters continues.