Riverland Community College President Adenuga Atewologun accepted a donation valued at $42,744.79 to Riverland’s Collision Repair Technology program Thursday from industry partners, Auto Body Specialists and PPG^® Automotive Refinish.

Collision Repair Technology instructors Jim Jensen and Wayne Nielsen have worked with Auto Body Specialists and PPG^® to arrange for the donation of a PPG^® Envirobase Paint Mixing system to provide the program with ‘green’ technology needed to work with waterborne paint when painting vehicles.

In order to reduce ozone levels, federal and state agencies have developed regulations to reduce Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions from a variety of sources, including products that contain solvents. These new and more stringent regulations are the catalyst for companies like PPG^® to move to waterborne refinish basecoat applications as an effective means of lowering VOC emissions and therefore improving the air quality and environment.

This new technology and Envirobase Paint Mixing system will now allow the Collision Repair Technology program to work with this state-of-the-Art, environmentally friendly, paint system while teaching their students.

“This donation from Auto Body Specialists and PPG^® demonstrates how partnerships with area and national businesses can drive our college toward achieving our vision to have ‘Best in Class’ programs,” said Dr. Atewologun. “This is a winning example of how private and public come together to provide quality education to our future workforce through teaching, scholarship and service.”

In addition, the Legislature passed a bill that included an appropriation to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) for the “leveraged” acquisition of equipment for instructional programs that produce graduates with skills in high-demand occupations. To receive these state funds, MnSCU colleges and universities were required to leverage the state dollars by securing matching cash or in-kind contributions from non-state sources such as local businesses, vendors or foundations.

The Legislative Leveraged Equipment Fund has enabled the PPG^®/Auto Body Specialists donation to be matched with an additional $25,000 that will allow the purchase of a new mobile high technology auto body painting simulator for students to practice and perfect their painting technique without using valuable painting supplies. This project will advance the skills of Riverland students and better prepare them for the local workforce and the simulator will be available for the program to take to high schools and other sites to use as a recruiting/training tool to connect with kids who may have an interest in auto body careers.

“The Legislature has provided MnSCU colleges like Riverland with an excellent program that enables us to leverage the donations of much needed equipment for our programs. This takes donations to the next level,” said Steve Bowron, Riverland dean for institutional advancement. “In order to prepare these students for the evolving needs of the workforce, our programs need to train on the latest equipment. This donation is a perfect example of much our business partners contribute toward a better education.”

The paint system has already been installed and is available for use.

Riverland Collision Repair Technology is a hands-on training program that focuses on the collision repair and refinishing of today’s high-tech vehicles. Students practice hand skills while repairing damaged vehicles to industry standards. This program also includes basic theory on airbag handling and replacement.

The specialty training offered in this program is unique in the upper Midwest. All Riverland instructors have years of experience in the field and are committed to keeping up with the latest industry changes, such as our new Waterborne Paint System. Our excellent student-to-teacher ratio means you benefit from focused individual attention. The program is nationally-certified by NATEF, (National Automotive Technicians Educations Foundation).

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