MTU Partners with Nexteer in Fellowship Education Program

11/09/2022

Michigan Technological University and Nexteer Automotive have signed an Education Partnership Agreement supporting Nexteer employees to pursue advanced degrees through Michigan Tech’s Global Campus, where they can acquire in-demand skills, pursue areas of professional interest and meet demands for high-growth areas in the automotive industry.

The partnership between Michigan Tech and Nexteer — a leading motion control technology company with 26 manufacturing plants and multiple operations in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa — allows current Nexteer employees to receive fellowships to pursue one of Tech’s online graduate certificates or master’s degrees. The annual fellowships are available for up to four years, provided the recipients meet the University's eligibility requirements.

“Nexteer’s vision is to accelerate mobility to be safe, green and exciting, and our partnership with Michigan Tech supports these goals. Collaboration between higher education and the industry is critical to developing solutions to overcome future mobility challenges,” said Robin Milavec, president, chief technology officer, chief strategy officer and executive board director of Nexteer Automotive. “At Nexteer, we want to inspire and empower our employees with the freedom to go beyond. We believe continuous education, like this fellowship education program, plays a key role in inspiring and empowering our team because it supports our people with increasing their skills and knowledge — which further drives innovation and creative problem solving capabilities.”

The fellowship program is part of Global Campus’s mission to build relationships between academia and industry while making quality online education more accessible to diverse and nontraditional learners.

Michigan Tech has a long history of working with the automotive industry, so partnering with Nexteer is a natural fit for the University. At the signing ceremony, President Rick Koubek noted that Michigan Tech is “a bit unique as an institution, in that our founding legislation calls upon the University to advance the state's economy through workforce development. Through partnerships like this,” Koubek added, “we can bring the skills and the expertise of our faculty and staff directly to industry — not just where they need it, but also when they need it.”

In recent days, Michigan Tech’s Global Campus team, led by Vice President for Global Campus and Continuing Education David Lawrence, have held a series of in-person and virtual interest sessions for Nexteer employees to explain the details and benefits of this unique program.

About Nexteer
Nexteer Automotive is a global leading motion control technology company accelerating mobility to be safe, green and exciting. Our innovative product and technology portfolio includes electric and hydraulic power steering systems, steer-by-wire systems, steering columns and intermediate shafts, driveline systems, eDrive and software solutions. The company solves motion control challenges across all megatrends – including electrification, software/connectivity, ADAS/automated driving and shared mobility – for more than 60 customers around the world including BMW, Ford, GM, RNM, Stellantis, Toyota and VW, as well as automakers in India and China.

Michigan Technological University is a flagship technological public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan. The 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 and is home to more than 7,000 students.

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.