��ӽ紫ý, Ingalls Shipbuilding partner for employee education assistance benefits

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi ��ӽ紫ý University and HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division formally partnered Wednesday [Oct. 23] to give eligible employees at Ingalls expanded education assistance benefits, including a 10% tuition discount for those who enroll in ��ӽ紫ý for undergraduate or graduate courses.

��ӽ紫ý President Mark E. Keenum, Huntington Ingalls Vice President of Human Resources and Administration Susan Jacobs, and Huntington Ingalls Executive Vice President and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson are pictured during a Memorandum of Understanding signing Wednesday [Oct. 23]. — ��ӽ紫ý President Mark E. Keenum, from left, Ingalls Shipbuilding Vice President of Human Resources Susan Jacobs, and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson are pictured during a Memorandum of Understanding signing Wednesday [Oct. 23]. Keenum visited the Pascagoula facility to formalize a partnership to expand education assistance benefits, including a 10% tuition discount for eligible employees. (Photo courtesy of HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division)

The agreement applies to eligible employees—defined as pre-approved through the Ingalls Education Assistance ��ӽ紫ý—who may take online or in-person courses. The students must meet all admission criteria to receive the preferred tuition benefits.

“We are so proud to give this benefit to the hardworking employees at Ingalls Shipbuilding to help individuals further their education and achieve their goals,” said ��ӽ紫ý President Mark E. Keenum. “Partnerships like this help ��ӽ紫ý work with our state’s leading industries to grow our state together. Ingalls is clearly one of the most important companies in Mississippi, and we are pleased to support the many hardworking professionals they have working in all aspects 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 be providing this extra educational benefit to our shipbuilders. Through this partnership with ��ӽ紫ý, we can continue ensuring our shipbuilders have every opportunity to gain the educational skills and training they need to excel in their careers.”

��ӽ紫ý President Mark E. Keenum and Huntington Ingalls Executive Vice President and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson overlook the shipyard at Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Inc. — ��ӽ紫ý President Mark E. Keenum and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson overlook the shipyard at Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Inc. Keenum toured the Pascagoula facility this week, when ��ӽ紫ý and Ingalls extended a cooperative relationship, which already includes joint research and development efforts, now offering additional education assistance benefits for eligible employees. (Photo courtesy of HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division)

Eligible employees may request tuition payment deferment for up to six credit hours per term with an employer-approved tuition assistance form on file with the university. This arrangement can help avoid up-front tuition costs that may be billed later to coincide with the timeframe for employer tuition reimbursement following final grades from a term. The eligible employees enrolled with ��ӽ紫ý are responsible for tuition payment by the end of each class term.

This partnership extends a cooperative relationship between Ingalls and ��ӽ紫ý that includes research and development collaboration, such as a project with ��ӽ紫ý’s Athlete Engineering Institute and HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division to build a new wearable prototype device to aid shipbuilders in the mitigation of heat injuries.��

Ingalls will work with ��ӽ紫ý to communicate the new education assistance benefits available as part of this latest memorandum of understanding.

Students in the Gulf Coast region may be interested in —managed by the university’s new —or in-person classes with ��ӽ紫ý’s housed at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Jackson County Campus in Gautier.

Mississippi ��ӽ紫ý University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at .

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