Sometimes, taking proper aim at a specific goal takes a few years and some careful consideration. And in the case of three Kettering University alumni, it took a simple call from Kettering President Stan Liberty during an alumni gathering in New York City to spur them into action.

That’s what happened with Jane Boon ’90, Valerie Grubb ’90 and Matt Logan ’90, all of whom attended the New York City reception and felt inspired to help out. At the urging of Grubb and Logan, the three friends came together and decided to sponsor a student participating in Kettering’s Academically Interested Minds (AIM) program.

She made this contribution at the urging of two close friends and Kettering graduates, Valerie Grubb ’90 and Matt Logan ’90, all of whom attended the New York City reception and felt inspired to help out.

Additionally, the three came together and thought a good way to become even more involved would be through the sponsorship of a student participating in Kettering’s Academically Interested Minds (AIM) program, which is also a pre-college effort similar to LITE.

Boon is a writer and researcher on technology and policy in New York. She also serves as an advisor to early stage technology companies like Prosper.com, an online, person-to-person lending platform. She had previously endowed another of Kettering’s pre-college programs, Lives Improve Through Engineering (LITE), with a $50,000 gift.

“When Matt and Val suggested we sponsor an AIM student, I agreed enthusiastically because Kettering’s pre-college programs are so innovative and effective. The AIM program has been particularly successful at producing eager students ready to enroll at Kettering, and made President Liberty’s call irresistible,” Boon said. “We hope our example will encourage other alums to consider supporting the program and the school in general,” she added.

AIM is a five-week residential summer program designed to help students of color make a successful transition from high school to college. Students from across the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean attend freshman level courses in calculus, chemistry, chemistry lab, computer programming, computer lab, economics, physics, physics lab and business management.

Kettering professors teach classes, as well as assign homework and give exams. On Fridays, students take company tours and speak with professional engineers and managers. At the end of the program, Kettering presents scholarships to the students who rank in the top 15 of the AIM program. 

Grubb and Logan served as highly regarded executives who recently left the corporate ranks—she established her own enterprise while he moved on to a new company and new career. Grubb established a company specializing in operations consulting and training (www.valgrubbandassociates.com) and Logan entered the financial services industry (www.mdlogan.com). Both have also been heavily involved in community service throughout their careers and through their donation to AIM believe this is yet another way to give back and support those who wish to attend a quality institution of higher education like Kettering.

"Kettering University provided a solid foundation for my career.  The principles I learned in class, and then applied with my co-op employer, have played a key role in my subsequent successes,” Grubb said, adding, “It is a pleasure to help another student discover all that Kettering has to offer."

 “It’s been great reuniting with my 1990 classmates and helping our with the AIM program,” Logan said.

Dwight Tavada, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Initiatives, which oversees the AIM program, said contributions such as this not only help sustain pre-college programs, but help insure that other gifted students receive an opportunity to participate in these efforts.

“The sponsorship support of Valerie and Matt affords us the opportunity to attract and develop intellectual minds in preparation for advanced studies in the areas of math, science and engineering,” Tavada said. “This kind of support also tells program participants that our graduates want them to succeed,” he added.

AIM has achieved quote a notable recognition in recent years as one of the best pre-college programs in Michigan and perhaps in this part of the country. Earlier in 2009, the National Association of Multicultural Engineer Professional Advocates (NAMEPA) honored AIM with the Pre-College Program of the Year award.

AIM received the honor at the organization’s March conference "Advancing Diversity in Engineering: Helping America Compete," which reflects the Association's historical purpose and the importance of its contributions to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. The awards celebration took place at the Sony Motion Picture Studio in Los Angeles.

The award recognized pre-college programs that introduce students to academic degree programs and careers in engineering and that encourage them to enroll in engineering programs in college.

“What made our program stand out was our strong academic emphasis and our collaboration with industry, which enables us to expose AIM students to engineering careers through company tours and corporate sponsorship,” said Ricky Brown, associate director of Minority Student Affairs in the Office of Multicultural Student Initiatives.

“We were also unique in that we had 29 out of 36 participants of the 2008 AIM class apply to Kettering, with 19 matriculating as freshmen at the University this year,” he added. Since 1994, 49 percent of all students who participated in AIM matriculated at the University, according to Brown, who directs the AIM program with Stephanie Jones, associate director of Minority Student Affairs.

Additionally, Kettering’s University Advancement Department holds an AIM/LITE auction, which raises funds to support the program and students who participate.

This year, the event took place at Orchard Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and raised more than $70,000 in support of both pre-college programs. This is the second year in a row that the auction has brought in more than $70,000 in support for AIM and LITE, according to Natalie Dronchat, director of Special Events.

To learn more about AIM, LITE and other Kettering pre-college programs, visit http://www.kettering.edu/futurestudents/precollege/.

Written by Gary J. Erwin

810.762.9538

gerwin@kettering.edu

Three of the highest awards presented by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) have been awarded to Kettering University in honor of its achievements in preparing students who excel academically, succeed professionally and have a positive impact on the world.

Dwight Tavada, director of Kettering’s Office of Multicultural Student Initiatives (OMSI), said the three regional honors are:

• Highest GPA: Kettering’s NSBE chapter has the highest average cumulative GPA;
  
• Chapter of the Year: Kettering’s NSBE chapter has fulfilled the national mission of increasing the number of culturally responsible black engineers; and
  
• Highest Penetration Rate: Kettering’s NSBE chapter is recognized for the penetration of the largest percent of the black minority population at its university.

Tavada, OMSI Assistant Director Dr. L.B. McCune and 21 students attended the NSBE national convention in Las Vegas March 25-29 to accept the elite recognitions.  Kettering competed against major universities in the Midwest in its categories, including Indiana University, Michigan State University, Michigan Tech, Ohio State University, the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin.

Tavada said being present to watch the presentations was an important moment for his OMSI team.  “This means we’re doing a great job in recruiting and retaining African-American engineering students at Kettering University.  We nurture our students and give them a sense of community involvement,” Tavada explained.  “Co-op helps our students adjust to this difficult and global economic environment and helps create a university environment that provides the academic, financial and emotional support they need for success.”

Tavada said Kettering graduates about 80 percent of the African-American engineering students that matriculate at the University.  He noted that the statistic is significant because the graduation average for African-American engineering students is now 36-40 percent nationally.  “Other schools, even the historically black institutions, aren’t doing as well as we are here at Kettering.  It’s a real point of pride for our operation because it is difficult to retain African Americans in the field of engineering,” Tavada said.

Tavada credits his entire OMSI team and gave special thanks to McCune, the NSBE adviser.  He meets weekly with the executive board and general membership of Kettering’s NSBE chapter.  “We ask our students to be committed to their education and their community,” McCune said.  “We take their community service obligation very seriously and that’s why this is such an amazing accomplishment.  We were especially honored to be at the national convention and receive this recognition in front of 15,000 students from around the country.”

McCune said Kettering’s NSBE members actively support the local Salem Housing Center, the Food Bank of East Michigan and My Brothers Keeper, a local shelter for homeless men.  “Their commitment is substantial.  This is absolutely great,” he added.

Ricky Brown, director of OMSI’s Pre-College Programs, said he thinks a big part of this achievement is the closeness that OMSI is able to create on campus.  “This is a family atmosphere,” Brown explained.  “We look at our students as individuals – as our own kids.  We push them to succeed and the only way they can do that is graduate from Kettering and do well.  We strive to get them out of Kettering with excellent grades and employment experiences,” Brown added.

Stephanie Jones, associate director of Pre-College Programs, agreed.  “It’s a great honor to help our students reach their goals and help them realize they have options in pursuing their degree,” she said.  “It makes everything we do in our program worth it.”

Jones credits Kettering’s professional cooperative education program as a big part of OMSI’s ongoing success.  “Our students get to experience real work in a real world environment.  They achieve in academics and in their work, which helps them better understand what they want to do and not do.  They don’t have to wait until they graduate to sort through their interests and skills," she added.

Perhaps OMSI administrative assistant Nadia Gilbert was able to sum it up best: “this is so awesome,” she said, smiling.  “Being here every day, just knowing I can help the students when they come to us in a time of need is very rewarding.  Our students are very active in Kettering and outside in our community.  That alone is awesome.  I commend them for their hard work and for these successes,” she added.

To read more on the Office of Multicultural Student Initiatives, visit: http://www.kettering.edu/omsi/office_of_minority_student_affairs.jsp

Written by Patricia Mroczek

810.762.9533

pmroczek@kettering.edu

Kettering University’s AIM program was honored with the Pre-College Program of the Year award from the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA) March 1, at Sony Motion Picture Studios in Los Angeles at their conference "Advancing Diversity in Engineering: Helping America Compete,"

reflects the Association's historical purpose and the importance of its contributions to

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.

The award recognizes pre-college programs that introduce students to academic degree programs and careers in engineering, and that encourage them to enroll in engineering programs in college.

“What made our program stand out was our strong academic emphasis and our collaboration with industry enabling us to expose AIM students to engineering careers through company tours, and corporate sponsorship,” said Ricky Brown, associate director of Minority Student Affairs in the Office of  Multicultural Student Initiatives at Kettering. 

“We were also unique in that we had 29 out of 36 participants of the 2008 AIM class apply to Kettering, with 19 matriculating as freshmen at the University this year,” he added. Since 1994, 49 percent of all students who participated in AIM matriculated at the University, according to Brown, who directs the AIM program with Stephanie Jones, associate director of Minority Student Affairs.

NAMEPA is a national network of educators and representatives from industry, government, and nonprofit organizations who share a common commitment to improving the recruitment and retention of African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians earning degrees in engineering. As a recognized authority in minority engineering education, NAMEPA serves as an advocate for those students, promotes the professional development of members, and generally engages in a wide range of activities which respond to the needs of its membership.

While their friends are at the beach, holding down summer jobs and enjoying their last summer before their senior year in high school, 32 students are willingly sitting through Calculus, Chemistry, Physics and Business classes at Kettering University to get a taste of college life through the Academically Interested Minorities (AIM) program.

These kids are SERIOUS about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math as potential career options. On campus from July 7 to Aug. 8, the students from as far away as Jamaica, Texas and the Bahamas, got a taste of real college life at Kettering including classes with real homework and real networking opportunities with corporate executives from companies like UPS, Toyota, General Motors and Harley Davidson Motors.

AIM is a residential summer program for students entering 12^th grade in the fall. Participants attend freshman-level courses Monday through Thursday in Math, Chemistry, Computer Programming, Economics, Physics and Business Management. Courses are taught by Kettering faculty who assign homework and give exams.

The lessons are real AND fun. In Physics they learned the basics of rocket science using modified plastic bottles and in Chemistry they explored the conductivity of electrolytes.

On Fridays during the program students were taken on tours of Kettering co-op employers to meet professional engineers and business managers. This year the group visited GM Flint Assembly and GM Powertrain South in Flint, Mich., Delphi in Troy, Mich., and Stryker Instruments in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Harley Davidson and Jamaica Public Services-Kingston, Jamaica, sent representatives to meet with students while they were on campus and to talk about continuing their sponsorship should the students decide to attend Kettering.

At the end of the program scholarships are offered to the students who rank in the top 15 percent of their AIM class.

To be eligible for the AIM program, students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in high school Math, Chemistry and English; two years of Algebra, one year of Geometry, one year of Chemistry with a lab and two years of English.  They must also commit to attending the entire five-week course.

Since 1984 more than 800 students from across the United States, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean have participated in the AIM program. The success of the AIM program is seen not only in the number of students who matriculate at Kettering, but also in those who pursue higher education in the fields of medicine and teaching.

“I would say close to 100 percent of AIM graduates go on to college,” said Ricky Brown, director of Pre-college Programs, “whether at Kettering or somewhere else.”

So next July, when most recent high school graduates are enjoying their last summer before college, members of the 2008 AIM class may be heading to Kettering with a clear idea of what to expect of the college experience, and of themselves.

Each AIM student is sponsored by a company or foundation. Corporate and foundation sponsors for the 2008 year were:
Affinity Group for Women - GM Flint Engine South
Bendix Corp.
Delphi Corporation
Delphi Steering Saginaw
The Dr. James E.A. John Scholarship
GM Foundation
GM Powertrain South AGAW
GM Powertrain North
Harley Davidson Motors
Jamaica Public Service Co. Ltd.
Kettering University
The Powerlink Group
Rotary Club of Lucaya – Freeport, Bahamas
Toyota Motor Co.
The UPS Foundation
Visual Source Studio, LLC

In 2005 the AIM program was recognized by the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Administrators (NAMEPA) as an exceptional contributor to increasing the participation of minorities in engineering disciplines in higher education.

The AIM program also received the 2004 "Outstanding Program" award from the Michigan Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers (MACRAO), for its dedication to the development and career success of its students.

Written by Dawn Hibbard
810.762.9865
dhibbard@kettering.edu

Kettering recently received a $95,000 Select Student Support Services grant from the State of Michigan Department of Career Development. This significant award will help support the University's program titled "Enhancing Engineering Student Retention through New teaching/Learning Paradigms," which provides critical academic support to minority students studying engineering, mathematics, business management and the sciences at Kettering.

Dwight Tavada, director of the University's Office of Minority Student Affairs, and Milt Robinson, consultant to University President James E.A. John, co-authored the winning grant proposal. All three executives are thrilled that Kettering was chosen as one of the few private institutions that received funding support.

"This grant is quite an achievement for our office," Tavada explained, "especially since we are a small private institution and competed against larger state-funded colleges that continue to receive state funding. Typically, public institutions receive the majority of grant awards from this state program, so we're happy to win it this year."

Tavada also noted that the program opportunities generated by this grant would greatly enhance the school's retention rate for minority students. Currently, Kettering's rate of retention for minority students is 76.8 percent, which is highest among Michigan-based schools of higher education and also one of the highest rates in the country. Kettering has 250 minority students on campus.

As part of the grant requirements, Kettering will contribute a 30 percent match, which will effectively help Minority Student Affairs implement a program designed to assist students in succeeding in the University's rigorous academic programs. Tavada said that funds would help sponsor speakers and support activities associated with Kettering's Black Unity Congress (BUC), the school's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers(SHPE).

"We are very fortunate to win this grant given the high level of competition," Tavada said. "We expect to host and fund a variety of diversity events on campus, as well as academic programs. We believe this grant gives us an even more solid footing as we work toward further increasing our minority student retention rates and help students succeed in challenging areas ofstudy."

Some of Kettering's program components funded through this grant include supplemental instruction through the use of workshop and tutorial formats in multivariate calculus, differential equations and statistics/dynamics; and collaborative learning opportunities for students who wish to hone their skills in calculus, chemistry and physics. These formats allow students to work on academic subjects together, which builds their sense of camaraderie with peers and makes learning an enjoyable enterprise. Grant funds will also support activities such as student recognition events, assist the development of a program advisory committee and aid in faculty training.

Kettering will use grant funds during a period from Oct. 1, 2002, through Sept. 30, 2003.

For more information on this and other programs conducted by Kettering's Office of Minority Student Affairs, visit the website at http://maserver.kettering.edu, or call (810) 762-9825.

Written by Gary Erwin
(810) 762-9538
gerwin@kettering.edu

Rodney O'Neal '76 really only had one reason for filling out his college application to General Motors Institute (Kettering University) back in the 1960s - he wanted his guidance counselor to stop asking him about it.

The guidance counselor's approach worked, and so did the academic preparation and career experiences that have led O'Neal, 48, to serve as executive vice president of Delphi Corp. and president of the company's Safety, Thermal & Electrical Architecture Sector.

O'Neal returned to campus Aug. 9 to deliver the keynote address for the 19th annual awards banquet of Academically Interested Minorities (AIM) pre-college summer program. The banquet honored the accomplishments of 36 high school students, who had spent six weeks of the summer in a pre-college preparatory program focused on calculus, chemistry, computers, economics, physics, management and marketing.

O'Neal recently received two of the country's highest engineering honors. In February he was named the 2002 Black Engineer of the Year, the top award presented at an annual conference hosted by the publishers of "U.S. Black Engineer & Information Technology" magazine. In March, he received the 2002 Lifetime Achievement in Industry Award by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).

"If I'm old enough to receive a lifetime achievement award," O'Neal said during his address, "I've become in touch with my own mortality."

O'Neal told the group it was great being on campus once again. "I love to feel the energy of youth. I'm very glad to be back," he said during the AIM banquet. "When I got out of high school, I wanted to earn $15,000 and have a good set of wheels underneath me. I couldn't have imagined traveling around the world or being an executive at a global company."

Back then, he explained, he wasn't necessarily welcomed in restaurants or restrooms. "A lot has changed since the 1960s," he told the minority students. "None of the doors that have opened for me, however, would have opened without an outstanding education.

"I'm well aware of what Kettering can do for you," he said. "I work for Delphi, a $9 billion company that does business in 38 countries. The top five out of six executives at Delphi are Kettering graduates," he said, noting the company stuck a Harvard grad in there just to mix it up a little bit.

"An outstanding set of people have come out of this place," O'Neal told the AIM students. "So remember this - the average starting salary for a Mechanical Engineering graduate in 2002 is $50,000. If you're going to work, you might as well get paid for it.

"There is a critical shortage of engineers, especially African-American engineers. We have to push hard to educate the next generation. And personally, I prefer a workforce that has options," he added.

"You are the envy of the elders in the room," O'Neal concluded. "There is no 'would have' or 'could have' in your life yet. Dream big. Dream the impossible and find out what it takes to make your dreams come alive.

"And remember this: It's not all about your title on your business card. Success is measured by how many hearts of others you gather along the way."

About Rodney O'Neal '76
Rodney O'Neal is originally from Dayton, Ohio, and began his career with General Motors as a co-op student in 1971. At Delphi, his responsibilities include leading a sector of 110,000 employees and $10 billion in sales. He is also a member of the Delphi Strategy Board, the company's top policy-making group and serves as the executive champion for Delphi's Ford customer team.

O'Neal was named the 2002 Black Engineer of the Year at the 16th Annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference, sponsored by the publishers of "U.S. Black Engineer & Information Technology" magazine. He received the 2002 Lifetime Achievement in Industry Award by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) in March 2002.

He is a member of the board for Inroads, Inc., and the Woodward Governor Company. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and serves on the advisory board for Focus: Hope. He is also involved in a number of organizations including the Detroit Institute of Arts, Mental Illness Needs Discussion Sessions (MINDS), Music Hall and Lighthouse Community Services.

Written by Pat Mroczek
(810) 762-9533
pmroczek@kettering.edu

Didn't matter how good a kid could shoot a jumper or how quickly they could run the floor. As long as they received a chance to play and exercise, the program was a success.

For Marc D. Alexander, a senior Mechanical Engineering major at Kettering University and president of Youth of Tomorrow (www.youth-of-tomorrow.org), the simple pleasure of a basketball day for local youth on a Saturday afternoon in 2005 turned into a passion that is leading to an entrepreneurial opportunity focused on not just making money but on making a positive impact on kids.

It started with the purchase of four basketball rims from Toys R Us and eventually became so popular that kids from all over the Pontiac area showed up to toss a few bricks around.

"One day my neighborhood was doing an event on the same day that I ran the basketball program and the organizers asked me to bring my rims to their event. They liked the program and wanted to know what other ideas I had. From there, my ideas went from my mind to paper and now to real programs we implement every year," Alexander explained.

Since then, Alexander and his colleagues continue to refine Youth of Tomorrow into an organization destined to help prepare youth for professional careers. The organization focuses on providing assistance with leadership and communication development, assisting those with the same vision of aiding youth, and educating others regarding the need of helping youth undertake career opportunities.

To date, Alexander's organization, where he also serves during his co-op terms, has achieved considerable success. For instance, 2007 marks the third year Youth of Tomorrow has conducted a pre-college program titled "Engineers of Tomorrow" in conjunction with Kettering University to interest under served high school students in engineering as a career field. This project required additional funding, which the organization recently achieved based on their experience to enhance the career and educational outlook of all participants through previous programs.

Recently, Youth of Tomorrow opened a new headquarters where the organization will hold meetings, house small programs and retain all projects the organization has worked on. The facility consists of a waiting area for customers, a restroom, kitchen and three personal offices. It's located at 1207 N. Ballenger Hwy, Suite C, Flint, Mich., 48507.

Additionally, in 2006 LaKeisha Watson, a junior majoring in Manufacturing Engineering, joined the group as vice president and made significant enhancements to the "Engineers of Tomorrow" program. Finally, Alexander noted that the organization plans to expand programs to other neighborhoods, cities and perhaps states in the near future.

Perhaps the biggest proponent for Youth of Tomorrow is the Kettering Entrepreneur Society (KES, http://www.kesociety.com/ ), an organization that works to promote an entrepreneurial culture at Kettering based on innovation and social values. In 2006 and 2007, the e-Kettering Initiative-through which KES was developed-received a total of $100,000 through two individual grants from the Kern Family Foundation to develop entrepreneurship at Kettering. Some of the activities and endeavors of the e-Kettering initiative include the creation of KES, implementation of course work in entrepreneurial studies, and a business plan competition.

Alexander currently serves as the A-Section vice president for the group and said that his experience with KES "has been wonderful. I am surrounded by people who are in or developing business ideas, which keeps me going because I want to be among those who are successful when it comes to running and developing businesses. When you put a group of individuals with the same business mentality in the same room, you get a panel of advisers like no other. They see potential problems that I may not see and ways to grow that I may have overlooked," he said.

Although Alexander came to Kettering to study engineering and fully expects to earn his degree, he realizes that the opportunity to hone his entrepreneurial spirit is something he simply cannot pass up, given the advent and activities associated with the KES.

"One thing I've learned as an entrepreneur is that you do not let any opportunity pass you by no matter how much is being offered," he said. "For me, every penny is one more penny closer to my goal," he added."

Dr. Massoud Tavakoli, who is the founder of the KES and co-authored, along with Dr. Andy Borchers of the Business Dept., the Kern Foundation proposal that won the University $100,000 over the last two years, said that Alexander has clearly run with the chance to develop his entrepreneurial skills.

"The word 'entrepreneurship' is interpreted by most as owning one's business for the sake of becoming wealthy. Marc Alexander's quest for youth outreach exemplifies the mind set of many of the KES students who are determined to benefit the society with their entrepreneurial skills," Tavakoli said.

And while Alexander is still young and working toward his Mechanical Engineering degree, he's already risen above the rim in terms of helping others through his passion of one day becoming an entrepreneur.

To learn more about Youth of Tomorrow, visit www.youth-of-tomorrow.org. For more on the Kettering Entrepreneur Society, visit http://www.kesociety.com/.

Written by Gary J. Erwin
810-762-9538
gerwin@kettering.edu

Dwight Tavada, director of Kettering's Office of Multicultural Student Initiatives, said the funding is an important investment in preparing tomorrow's leadership among minority engineers. "We are so proud of the participation of these three corporate and foundation neighbors," Tavada said.

The first contribution is $45,000 for scholarships for one year. It is from the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, provided to the foundation by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The second is from the UPS Foundation for $16,000, which will sponsor four students in the 2007 AIM summer program. It is part of a larger gift recently presented to Kettering President Stan Liberty.

The third is from the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund for $6,000. The funds are allocated for sponsorship of two students in the 2007 AIM program. Recipients must have a minimum recomputed 3.0 grade point average. The support for AIM is part of a larger $24,000 gift from the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, which is a first-time donor to Kettering University. Along with $6,000 for the AIM program, funds will be utilized to provide scholarships for Kettering students consisting of five $3,000 scholarships and two $2,000 scholarships as part of the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund's 2006 Aid to Higher Education program.

"The Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, the UPS Foundation and the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund believe in AIM's mission and in Kettering's ability to carry it out," Tavada added. "These gifts will make a great impact in helping students of color make successful transitions from high school to college, and in Kettering's ability to draw more minority students into engineering and technology fields."

AIM is a five-week residential summer program designed to help students of color make a successful transition from high school to college. Students from across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean attend freshman level courses Monday through Thursday in calculus, chemistry, chemistry lab, computer programming, computer lab, economics, physics, physics lab and business management.

Classes are taught by Kettering University faculty who assign homework and give exams. On Fridays, company tours are scheduled and students are able to speak with professional engineers and managers. During the evenings and on weekends, chaperoned activities take place including bowling, skating, movies and a trip to Cedar Point. Students also have access to the library, computer center and the recreational center. At the end of the program, scholarships are awarded to the students who rank in the top 15 of the AIM program. There is no cost to the student.

To participate, African American, Hispanic and Native American students must have completed their junior year with a minimum 3.0 GPA in English, math and chemistry courses (two years of high school algebra or the equivalent preparation; one year of geometry; one year of high school chemistry with lab; and two years of high school English). For more information on AIM, contact Ricky D. Brown, director of Pre-College Programs at (810) 762-9845 or 1-800-955-4464 ext. 9845.

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan continues to promote and facilitate charitable giving through its Increasing Regional Philanthropy effort. The new effort strives to strengthen philanthropy in the seven-county region it serves. Increasing Regional Philanthropy: Everyone Can Be a Philanthropist is aimed at improving and enhancing the quality of life in southeast Michigan by significantly increasing the financial resources available for the region's charitable sector.

UPS
Founded in 1907 as a messenger company in the United States, UPS has grown into a $42.6 billion corporation by clearly focusing on the goal of enabling commerce around the globe. Today UPS is a global company with one of the most recognized and admired brands in the world. We have become the world's largest package delivery company and a leading global provider of specialized transportation and logistics services. Every day, we manage the flow of goods, funds, and information in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund
DaimlerChrysler Corporation, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler AG, established the Chrysler Fund in 1953 as a non-profit entity with sole purpose of enriching the physical, educational and cultural needs of communities. Now known as the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, the mission of making a positive, lasting difference in the communities and business environments in which they do business continues to flourish. The fund focuses on programs that support future workforce, community vitality, involved employees, and public policy and marketplace issues.

Kettering University
Located in Flint, Michigan, Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute) is one of the country's premier co-op institutions and is ranked among the nation's finest specialty schools by U.S. News and World Report.

Written by Patricia Mroczek
(810) 762-9533
pmroczek@kettering.edu

A wide range of support services for students of color will continue at Kettering, thanks to a Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth King-Chavez-Parks (KCP) Initiative grant for $103,900 over three to five years.

The KCP grant will provide funds for retention initiatives ranging from tutorial services, mentoring programs, recognition programs for student leaders and student organizations, cultural events and bringing nationally known diversity speakers to campus, according to Dwight Tavada, director of the Office of Multicultural Student Initiatives (OMSI). The funds also support a Saturday resource center staffed by two physics tutors that is open to all Kettering students.

In addition to the state money, Kettering University provided matching funds totaling $41,000 and gifts in kinds totaling $21,000, Tavada said. All funding goes directly to services for students, according to Tavada.

"We are very fortunate to have received this funding," said Tavada, "as a private institution this is recognition that we are doing good things here. Our long term goal is to institutionalize these programs within the university budget so we will be less dependent on state funding," he said.

Although none of the funding can be used for scholarships, the OMSI receives other funding for academic scholarships "because of our retention rates, which are higher than the national average in part because of this state funding," Tavada said.

"Without this funding our retention rates would drop," he said. "The quality of life for our students of color is better since our participation in this grant program," he added.

The KCP Initiative grant is effective from Oct. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30, 2009, with annual fiscal accounting based on the State's fiscal years of Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. The grant program is part of Michigan Public Act 340 of 2006.

Written by Dawn Hibbard
810-762-9865
dhibbard@kettering.edu