TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Thanks to one of the world's most famous heavy metal bands, students in five programs at the College of Southern Idaho will benefit from scholarship funds to help launch their future careers.
"What?! A rock band wants to support me and my education? I think that's really cool," said Matt Quesnell, chair of the CSI Agriculture Department.
WATCH: CSI receives $75,000 from heavy metal rock legends Metallica:
For the past seven years, the Metallica Scholars Initiative has been supporting high-demand technical and trade programs at community colleges across the country with millions of dollars in scholarship funding.
For the first time this year, the College of Southern Idaho will receive a $75,000 share of a $3 million pool.
The funds will specifically support five programs at CSI: Agribusiness, Animal Science, Aquaculture, Ag Diesel, and Heavy-Duty Truck Diesel.
"A program like this has significant tool expenses, which can range from $5,000 to $7,000, depending on the program," said Barry Pate, CSI Dean of Technical Education. "Students need this support right when they start to purchase those tools. For other programs, the expenses might be slightly lower, but there are still items like personal protective equipment that they'll need."
Pate explained that the scholarship funds will help students offset the often substantial costs of purchasing the tools and equipment required for their programs. The highest starting costs are associated with the Heavy-Duty Truck Diesel program.
"This particular scholarship will provide students with $1,500 toward their tool kit, which they will keep throughout the program and take with them when they start working," said Pate.
For Quesnell and his future agribusiness professionals, the Metallica Scholars Initiative is a gift from the "heavy metal gods."
"It's encouraging to see that society — and groups like Metallica — want to support our students and help them develop skills to enter the workforce and be productive," Quesnell noted.
He mentioned that students will use their share of the funds to purchase books and all the necessary tools and equipment to get started.
"I'm not exactly sure how many students will receive scholarships, as we need to gather more details. However, I suspect it will be a relatively large percentage of our students," Quesnell said.
CSI is not the only college in Idaho to benefit from the Metallica Scholarship; the College of Western Idaho in Nampa also received funds for its technical programs.
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