MSU, Ingalls Shipbuilding, partner to assist in employee training

Contact: Allison Matthews

STARKVILLE, Miss.Mississippi State University and HII Ingalls Shipbuilding on Wednesday (Oct. 23) officially entered into a partnership to provide eligible Ingalls employees with enhanced educational assistance, including a 10 percent tuition discount for those enrolling at MSU for an undergraduate or graduate degree.

MSU President Mark E. Keenum, Huntington Ingalls Vice President of Human Resources and Administration Susan Jacobs, Huntington Ingalls Executive Vice President and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson are pictured during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday (Oct. 23). — MSU President Mark E. Keenum (left), Ingalls Shipbuilding Vice President of Human Resources Susan Jacobs and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson are pictured during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday (Oct. 23). Keenum visited the Pascagoula facility to formalize the partnership to expand educational aid benefits, including a 10 percent tuition discount for eligible employees. (Photo courtesy of Ingalls HII Shipbuilding Division)

The agreement applies to eligible employees identified as pre-approved under the Ingalls Educational Assistance Program who may attend online or in-person courses. Students must meet all admission criteria to receive the desired learning benefits.

“We are very proud to provide this benefit to the hardworking employees of Ingalls Shipbuilding to help people continue their education and achieve their goals,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. “Partnerships like these help MSU work with our state’s leading industries to grow our state together. Ingalls is undoubtedly one of the most important companies in Mississippi, and we are excited to support the many hard-working professionals working in all areas of their industry.”

Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said, “We are fully committed to the growth and success of our team and are excited to provide this additional educational benefit to our shipbuilders. Through this partnership with MSU, we can continue to provide our shipbuilders with every opportunity to obtain the educational skills and training they need to succeed in their careers.”

MSU President Mark E. Keenum, Huntington Ingalls Executive Vice President and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson look on at Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Inc. — MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson look on at Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Inc. Keenum visited the Pascagoula facility this week as MSU and Ingalls expand their collaboration, which already includes joint research and development. now offers additional educational assistance for eligible employees. (Photo courtesy of Ingalls HII Shipbuilding Division)

Eligible employees may request deferred tuition for up to six credit hours per semester using an employer-approved tuition assistance form located at the University. This arrangement can help avoid upfront tuition fees that may be billed later to coincide with the employer’s tuition reimbursement time frame after the semester’s final grades. Employees who are eligible to study at MSU are responsible for paying tuition until the end of each academic semester.

This partnership expands the collaborative relationship between Ingalls and MSU, which includes research and development collaborations such as project with MSU’s Athlete Engineering Institute and HII Ingalls Shipbuilding to create a new wearable prototype device to help shipbuilders mitigate heat injuries.

Ingalls will work with MSU to communicate the new educational aid benefits available under this latest MOU.

Students from the Gulf Coast region may be interested Many online programs of Moscow State University– is headed by a new College of professional and continuing education—or personal lessons from Moscow State University “Engineering on the Coast” program. housed on the Jackson County campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gauthier.

Mississippi State University cares about what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.