The Daily Standard
Story Archive
A student works on a pump in the Wright State University-Lake Campus Manufacturing Lab. A nearly $45,000 contribution from Honda will help the school to modernize the lab with high-level equipment.
CELINA - A recent contribution from Honda of almost $45,000 to Wright State University-Lake Campus will help the school upgrade its manufacturing lab, allowing students further opportunities in the rapidly evolving sector.
Received through the Western Ohio Education Foundation, the $44,778.25 contribution will allow Lake Campus officials to revitalize the campus's manufacturing lab, which is home to multiple levels of learning.
"Receiving this support from Honda has been a tremendous asset for our advanced manufacturing lab," director of workforce development and the business enterprise center Tammy Eilerman said in a statement announcing the contribution. "This investment allows us to modernize our facility with high-level equipment, from repairing essential machinery like our mill to installing new welding booths. By upgrading these tools, we are ensuring our students train on the exact technology they'll encounter in the field, strengthening the bridge between our classroom and the local industry."
Hands-on labs in the pre-apprentice program at the Lake Campus include learning how to solder. Planned upgrades to the manufacturing lab should enhance the school's pre-apprentice, mechanical engineering, manufacturing technology and SkillsTrac programs.
Lake Campus programs that utilize the lab include:
• The High School Pre-Apprentice Earn and Learn Program, which introduces students to the manufacturing industry and provides foundational skills for immediate, higher-paying jobs upon graduation.
• The Manufacturing Technology Program and the Mechanical Engineering Program, which allow students to pursue formal education up to the bachelor's degree level and to fill higher-level technical roles.
• The Advanced Manufacturing SkillsTrac Program, which allows for flexible upskilling of employers' current workforce through individual levels, classes or formal apprenticeships.
A nearly $45,000 contribution from Honda will help modernize the Wright State University-Lake Campus Manufacturing Lab with high-level equipment. Planned upgrades to the manufacturing lab should enhance the school's pre-apprentice, mechanical engineering, manufacturing technology and SkillsTrac programs.
The funding will allow officials to upgrade large equipment and other tools.
"We just have one welding booth, and we're looking to add some additional welding booths," workforce development coordinator Cassandra Kay Osterholt told The Daily Standard. "We also will be replacing a Bridgeport mill that's currently not working up to standards, and then just some additional smaller tools, some toolboxes, and just making sure everything is to industry standards."
She added that the school hopes to have the lab upgrades completed within the next year.
"We hope that it expands our enrollment, of course. We currently have about 85 mechanical engineering students," she said. "Really, within the last year we've really been pushing those students to take more of these hands-on classes to help meet the needs of the industry. Of course, growing our manufacturing technology program on the credit side and hoping we see more employers and their employees to train as well."
For the first time, officials at the Lake Campus Business Enterprise Center were invited to apply for the funding through the Honda USA Foundation funding cycle in fall 2025, Osterholt said.
Honda corporate and the Honda USA Foundation provide funding opportunities for programmatic support, the company website states. Each funding request is evaluated on its own merit, with consideration given to community needs, impact and available resources.
This contribution is the beginning of a budding partnership between the business center and Honda.
"They do have a few representatives on our mechanical engineering advisory board - that's been that way for years," Osterholt said. "(But) they will be kind of pioneering, or leading, a Honda Career lab (at the campus in the future). We are very, very appreciative. We're excited to replace some equipment that definitely needs to be replaced, and continuing to meet the needs of our community and the industry."
A nearly $45,000 contribution from Honda will help modernize the Wright State University-Lake Campus Manufacturing Lab with high-level equipment. Planned upgrades to the manufacturing lab should enhance the school's pre-apprentice, mechanical engineering, manufacturing technology and SkillsTrac programs.
