Michigan Tech Receives $160,000 Check from General Motors

Terry J. Woychowski
Terry J. Woychowski

Terry Woychowski, a member of Michigan Technological University’s Board of Trustees, presented a $160,000 check to the University Oct. 6 on behalf of General Motors.

The gift, which was received during the Board of Trustees’ regular meeting, will fund a variety of student activities. Among them are the Advanced Hybrid Electric Vehicle and Advanced Motorsports Enterprises, several Senior Design teams and student groups, and diversity programs.

University President Glenn D. Mroz accepted the check from Woychowski, GM’s vice president for global quality and vehicle launches. Michigan Tech also recently received a new Chevy Volt hybrid electric vehicle from GM, as well as a $200,000 gift from the GM Foundation for hybrid engine/vehicle testing, research, and education in the Advanced Powertrain Systems Research Center.

 “Michigan Tech is very fortunate to have General Motors as a partner in these endeavors,” Mroz said.  “Thousands of alumni and students have benefited from GM's support of our programs."

“These donations from the GM Foundation are further evidence of the value that General Motors places on its relationship with Michigan Tech, from its research and development to the education of our engineers,” Woychowski said.

All the GM donations support the Generations of Discovery capital campaign. Vice President for Advancement Shea McGrew reported that the campaign has attracted $153 million in gifts and pledges toward its goal of $200 million by June 30, 2013.

In other business, the Board

• approved the Capital Outlay Budget Request, a prioritized list of building projects that the University submits annually to the state. Construction depends fully on the availability of state funding. Topping the list is the $29.5 million Next Generation Energy Complex. Construction would involve additions and remodeling to Dillman Hall, Fisher Hall and the Academic Office Building and the construction of a biomass co-generation facility to complement the existing heating plant.

• heard from Vice President for Research David Reed that, as federal stimulus funding has drawn to an end, external awards for 2010-11 were $54.1 million, a decline of 8 percent over the previous year. However, excluding American Recovery and Reinvestment monies, federal awards to Michigan Tech actually have increased 14 percent.

• received an enrollment report from Vice President for Student Affairs Les Cook. Among the highlights, at 26.1 percent, female enrollment is up for the sixth straight year, the highest in the University’s history. The percentage of women also rose from 18 percent to 22 percent among incoming engineering undergraduates. Overall enrollment rose from 6,976 to 7,013.

• voted to award Chang K. Park an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy at Midyear Commencement, Dec. 10. Park is CEO of Universal Remote Control in Harrison, N.Y. He earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and in business engineering administration from the University in 1973.

• heard from external auditor Steve Peacock of Rehmann Robson that the University had a clean audit report, indicating that the financial statements are properly prepared and accurately portray the University’s financial situation.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.