Ford Contributes Scholarships for Automotive Students

Ford Motor Co. has recognized the caliber of Pennsylvania College of Technology's automotive technology education by sponsoring two $2,000 scholarships for students in the College's B.S. degree major in automotive technology management. The scholarships will be awarded for the 1999-2000 academic year. Ford has committed to two additional $2,000 scholarships for 2000-01.

"This is very prestigious for us to receive these awards," noted Ronald Garner, assistant professor of automotive technology at Penn College. "Ford is recognizing the level of training our students receive as well as the significance our baccalaureate program has to their corporation. The scholarships will help students become prepared for corporate jobs at Ford Motor Company."

Dave Dodds, technical training manager with Ford Customer Service Division's Mid Atlantic Area Technical Support Operations, agrees that the scholarships are intended to position college automotive students to succeed in the workforce.

"Ford is making a contribution to automotive technology, but also to the school-to-work initiatives that need stimulation by the automotive manufacturers," Dodds commented. "Our dealers want and need good skilled technical people and Ford needs technical skilled people with college degrees that are willing to travel and grow with the company."

Penn College and Ford have nurtured a dynamic professional relationship that includes regular on-campus recruiting of students for corporate job openings and contract technical positions within the technical support functions of the company. As well, the Ford ASSET program that has been successful at Penn College is an associate degree major in automotive technology/Ford ASSET emphasis and introduces students to a Ford dealership cooperative work/education experience designed to place them in jobs upon graduation. Recently, Penn College was selected as one of a handful of colleges selected by Ford as the company's sole source for recruiting automotive technology technical staff.

In addition to being targeted to students entering their junior or senior year within the automotive technology management B.S. major, eligibility criteria for the Ford Motor Company scholarships includes a minimum 3.0 grade-point average among other guidelines. The scholarships are being administered by the Penn College Foundation.