MESA receives $1.3 million gift from utilities alliance

An alliance that includes the state’s largest utilities has awarded nearly $1.4 million to MESA, calling its partnership with the program “critical to our success in fostering a more diverse labor market in California.” The funds will be distributed to MESA over the next three years.

The award was presented to MESA at a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) hearing in Sacramento on October 25.

MESA will use the funds—which were contributed by six investor-owned companies under the umbrella of the California Utilities Diversity Council (CUDC)—to support three focus areas: K–12 academic preparation; college matriculation support; and paid internships designed to expose MESA graduates to the energy, telecommunications and water management sectors, and encourage them to consider careers in these areas.

The CUDC is a committee of the CPUC, offering resource and collaboration strategies to help the state’s utilities promote and facilitate diversity. The six member organizations that made contributions to MESA include AT&T (formerly SBC), the Southern California Edison Company, the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Sempra Utilities (San Diego Gas and Electric and Southern California Gas Company), Verizon, and the California Water Association.

“We are honored by the CUDC’s decision to partner with us in this very important initiative,” said Michael Aldaco, UC assistant vice president for student academic preparation, and executive director of MESA. “This new level of support will allow MESA to provide yet another stepping stone on the path to establishing a lasting legacy of educational opportunity for students and work-force diversity for California’s utility companies.”

Aldaco noted, “Partnerships with prestigious groups like the CUDC allow us to supplement our core funding provided by the state so we can provide vital additional services for our students.”

The new collaborative builds on a long history of cooperation between MESA and the state’s utility companies that spans nearly three decades. Some 200 companies from a variety of industries currently work with MESA to produce urgently needed math, engineering, science and technology professionals. Companies provide MESA with financial assistance, equipment, technical resources, internships, and
volunteers.

In supporting MESA, the utilities have long emphasized the need for a professional workforce that reflects California’s increasingly diverse population.

“When we examined potential strategies to respond to the workforce-diversity challenge spawned by the massive demographic shifts taking place in our state, MESA quickly rose to the top,” said José L. Pérez, CUDC Chairman. “Its strong record of graduating engineering and science professionals makes it the ideal candidate to lead this effort.” (See Viewpoint).

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