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MACON, Ga. — A 2023 national study found that the United States needs approximately 400,000 new engineers each year.
Mercer University is working to help fill that gap by providing financial assistance to engineering students through the Scholarship for Engineering Education — a service-cancellable loan designed to keep engineering talent in Georgia.
The scholarship provides students with $3,500 per year, totaling $14,000 over four years. In return, recipients agree to work one year as an engineer in Georgia for each year they receive funding. If they do not fulfill this commitment, the scholarship converts into a loan that must be repaid.
Pierce Mastrion, a Mercer engineering graduate and scholarship recipient, said the financial aid stood out to him when he was selecting a school.
“It stood out to me because it was a four-year scholarship, so I got a little bit of money each year,” Mastrion said.
Mastrion graduated in May 2023 and now works as an engineer at Terracon Consultants in Macon. He credits the scholarship with giving him an opportunity to stay and work in the Central Georgia community.
“I had an eye-opening experience to be able to be poured into and be educated and loved by the Macon community and be able to work in Macon afterward and help be a part with bringing that new industry to Macon,” Mastrion said.
Mercer Executive Vice President for Enrollment Management Penny Elkins said the university’s School of Engineering was founded 40 years ago at the request of Robins Air Force Base, which needed more engineers.
“We were approached by the commander of Robins Air Force Base,” Elkins said. “Mercer did not have a school of engineering, but they were in desperate need of engineers to support Robins Air Force Base. A couple of folks came to our then-president and asked if we could stand up a school of engineering in support of Robins. That is exactly what we did.”
Elkins said the scholarship benefits both students and the state of Georgia.
“It’s a great asset for the state that either they work in the state of Georgia as an engineer or the students actually pay back the loan to the state of Georgia,” Elkins said. “So it is a win-win all around for the Georgia taxpayers and certainly for the Georgia workforce.”
According to Elkins, nearly 90% of students who receive the engineering scholarship remain in Georgia to work. She also said 25% of the engineers at Robins Air Force Base are Mercer graduates.
Mastrion said he’s excited to see more companies invest in Macon and is proud to contribute to the city’s development.
“It always makes me excited that companies are moving to Macon and looking at planting here and being the first person who gets to work on those projects,” Mastrion said.
The Georgia General Assembly wrote into next year’s budget proposal that they will continue funding the Mercer engineer scholarship with $1.26 million next year.
