NEWS RELEASE, 11/16/99 Student learning and new research are beneficiaries of $3 million Ford Motor Co. Fund gift to UC Berkeley

By José Rodríguez, Development Communications

BERKELEY-- The University of California, Berkeley, received a gift of $3 million today (Nov. 16, 1999) from the Ford Motor Co. Fund to support a variety of educational initiatives and student resource facilities around the campus. The gift will fund equipment, new technologies curriculum, lecture series, scholarships and fellowships across disciplines. It will provide support for the campus's School of Information Management & Systems, College of Chemistry, Walter A. Haas School of Business, College of Engineering and Career Center. "This is a wonderfully generous and comprehensive corporate donation. Through this one gift, educational opportunities for our students will be enhanced and new academic research will be supported," said Chancellor Robert M. Berdahl. Part of the grant will be used to renovate and equip three dedicated rooms and fund an integrated manufacturing laboratory in the College of Engineering. Key elements of the gift include: · At the School of Information Management & Systems, a multi-use laboratory and fellowships. · At the College of Chemistry, a lecture series, a Chemistry Scholars Program, and a fellowship in the newly created Catalysis Center. · At the Haas School of Business, an Information Technology Fund, an International Business Development Project, and curriculum development. · At the College of Engineering, a Ford Integrated Manufacturing Lab; funds for minority student organizations, scholarships, fellowships, design projects; and a Center for Underrepresented Engineering Students. · At the Career Center, a Ford Interview Room. "This contribution will provide tremendous resources and opportunities to a diverse group of university students - students we envision as the business leaders of the future," said Craig Muhlhauser, Ford vice president and president of Visteon Automotive Systems. "It is absolutely essential that we continue to build strong public-private partnerships to invest in the future of our industry," Muhlhauser said. "Ford's ongoing collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, will continue to support the development of leading-edge automotive technologies for tomorrow." University dignitaries, Ford leadership, alumni and students were among those who participated in the official announcement and ribbon-cutting at the Ford Integrated Manufacturing Laboratory in the campus's Etcheverry Hall. "Through our strong working alliance with the university, we've focused on efforts that enhance educational opportunities and further academic research," said Ford representative Glenn Warren, chief engineer for the company's Powertrain division. Ford representatives also stressed the company's increased ties to California, pointing to the recent move of its Lincoln Mercury world headquarters to Irvine. By including student scholarships, fellowships and additional support for various university programs and facilities, the new gift expands Ford Motor Co.'s long-standing partnership with UC Berkeley. It also enhances recruiting efforts, which Ford participates in every year on the campus. ###