Nutrien establishes another endowed scholarship at South Georgia Tech

Published 10:19 pm Monday, July 12, 2021

By Su Ann Bird

AMERICUS – Nutrien, the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services, continued its support of South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) this year by endowing another academic scholarship at the nationally-recognized two-year technical college that focuses on educating individuals for the workforce.

“Nutrien strives to meaningfully contribute globally and locally where we operate.  Nutrien’s purpose is to ‘Grow our World from the Ground Up.’  By 2050, we’ll need to grow food for almost 10 billion people, so in a sense we are helping to feed the future,” said Ron Henderson, Nutrien Rainbow Operations Manager in Americus.  “We collaborate with community partners who share Nutrien’s values and goals.  South Georgia Technical College is also working to grow our community through its commitment to workforce education that fosters innovation in agriculture, builds awareness of agriculture’s contributions, and provides education, training and support for the community. Many of our employees were born and raised in Sumter County, and it is our privilege to be able to give back to the community that we have been a part of since 1911.”

One of those employees, William Nutt, was on hand to make Nutrien’s check presentation for student scholarships.  The scholarships are for students enrolled in the Diesel Technology, the Caterpillar Heavy Equipment Diesel Technology and Electric Power Generation programs and John Deere Agricultural Technology students among others.  Nutt is a 1989 graduate of the Diesel Technology Program and has been with Nutrien for over 30 years.  He is currently working as a Maintenance Mechanic/Technician.

Nutrien produces and distributes over 27 million tons of potash, nitrogen and phosphate products for agricultural, industrial, and feed customers world-wide.  It is estimated by 2050, food will be needed for almost 10 billion people.  That’s why Nutrien is raising expectations on what an agriculture company can be.  From the bottom of the mine to the top of the silo, Nutrien employees around the world are committed to feeding the future safely and with integrity each day.

“On behalf of South Georgia Technical College and the South Georgia Technical College Foundation, I would like to thank Nutrien for partnering with us,” said South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford.  “Your donation is a tremendous support to our students. We are very pleased that Nutrien is assisting with the growth of our community and workforce through this educational scholarship opportunity.”

This is the ninth endowed scholarship that Agrium has sponsored and it is a tremendous boost to the students served by South Georgia Technical College.

“Nutrien is about growing the future.  Our company is driven by growth, whether it is to improve the performance of crops that feed the world responsibly, or our business.  South Georgia Technical College is in the business of growing individuals into an educated workforce, so we believe that this is a natural fit for our company to support,” added Henderson.

SGTC President Dr. John Watford reiterated his appreciation to Nutrien and added, “partnerships like this one and others are crucial to our success.  Your investment in an endowed scholarship will continue to give back to our students indefinitely. It also will help provide Nutrien with a trained workforce today and tomorrow.  We appreciate what you are doing in our community.  Thank you again for recognizing the value of the educational opportunities that we are able to provide to our students.”

For more information about contributing to the SGTC Foundation or endowing a scholarship at South Georgia Technical College, contact Su Ann Bird, Executive Director of the SGTC Foundation and Vice President of Institutional Advancement at 229.931.2110 or sbird@southgatech.edu.  Contributions may also be mailed to the SGTC Foundation, P.O. Box 6102, Americus, GA.