Our Community
Our Community
Kettering University is proud to have a wide community reaching beyond just the local area of Flint to all areas of the globe. During this ongoing crisis, the University, our Cooperative Education partners and our Alumni are working hard to help those in need.
How Kettering University Is Helping Out
- While dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, the University strives to balance academic excellence, safety and stability.
- In a partnership with Flint’s Hurley Medical Center, Kettering University’s Atwood Stadium hosted COVID-19 drive through testing throughout the month of April.
- John Wolfert, Assistant Director of the University’s FIRST Robotics Community Center, and Dr. Abishek Kamaraj, Kettering University Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Lecturer, have led undergraduate and graduate students in using 3D printing to create Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for front-line workers.
- As part of its “Cabin Fever Initiative,” the University Rec Center provided exercise equipment and stationary activity to nearly 30 students living off campus. In addition to the resistance bands and jump ropes, the students received adult coloring books, cards, 3D models and puzzles. The Rec Center also has been posting at-home exercises, daily workouts and tips that don't require equipment on the University’s internal communications platform,my.kettering.edu.
- On March 27, Kettering University donated much-needed additional medical supplies to both Hurley Medical Center and McLaren Flint. Each facility received 480 3M 8000 N95 masks, 120 mini bottles of hand sanitizer and 48 protective goggles to assist in their efforts to increase adequate supplies of PPE (personal protection equipment) for their medical staff.
Cooperative Education Partners Helping Out
- Emily Lang, a Freshman 2 from Swartz Creek, works for CNX Motion in Grand Blanc. Part of her job during her spring co-op rotation pivoted to producing masks which were donated to Grand Blanc Police Department.
- Duro-Last Roofing Is Making Face Masks.
- JR Automation Partners with GM to make Medical Masks.
- Magna Seating Helping To Make Masks.
- Ford is teaming up with 3M, General Electric and the UAW to lend its engineering and manufacturing expertise to quickly expand production of urgently needed medical equipment.
- General Motors, Ford part of hundreds of autoworkers, engineers and thousands of global suppliers are answering the call for help with remarkable speed in an effort becoming known as the "Arsenal of Health," a reference to Detroit's military production surge during World War II.
- General Motors is preparing to manufacture parts for at least 200,000 ventilators to stave off a projected shortage of machines.
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plans to convert a plant to produce face masks for health care workers and quickly reach a target of 1 million masks per month.
- Bosch rolled out a COVID-19 test that can diagnose in less than 2.5 hours to fight the outbreak.
- Pratt Miller donated 290 facemasks and 30 Tyvek coverall/suites – their entire emergency stock – to Beaumont Hospital.
- Brose, BorgWarner, and Marelli Tech and Racing donated gloves, hand santizer ad wipes to the Auburn Hills Police Department.
Alumni Efforts
- Mary Barra was named one of the World’s 25 Greatest Leaders: Heroes of the pandemic by Fortune magazine.
- Sonia Syngal ‘93 is the Global President of Old Navy Gap Inc. The company is making masks, gowns and scrubs for healthcare providers.
- Kettering University alumnus, Anthony Gosur ’10, currently works for Troy Design & Manufacturing (a subsidiary to Ford Motor Company) as a Manufacturing Engineer. The company is currently forecasted to build 1,000,000 PPE face shields a week, to aid in the fight against COVID-19. Anthony has helped implement and oversee daily operations to deliver masks all over the world (i.e. Florida, California, New York to Michigan). They currently have a "wall of hope" which exhibits the gratitude from the hospitals, emergency units and more. (WGN Chicago and The Today Show).
- Gerald Johnson, GM executive vice president of global manufacturing, is part of GM's efforts to make face masks.
- Will Sommerville '05, is working with several other alums and co-op students to pioneer an Augmented Reality work-from-home effort to make cloth face masks. "We are using HP Sprouts running Light Guide Systems software to help make the masks, share best practices, and record production data to the cloud."
- Kettering University/GMI Alumnus, William Berry ’81 and his company Die-Tech & Engineering Inc. (DTE) are helping to save lives amid the coronavirus outbreak by making parts for Ventec, a company that makes ventilators. They have created a tool for a piston that pumps air inside the ventilator. Berry says making the tool for the piston could normally take up to eight weeks. But in order to help save lives, they have fast-tracked the process.
- Alumni Steven Schwartz '08 created a website to help small businesses in Michigan - savemifaves.org.
- Matt Hagans '94, Controller and Business Development Manager, was part of CNX Motion's efforts in producing masks for the Grand Blanc Police Department.
Local & State Resources and Information
- Mayor Sheldon Neeley issued an executive order establishing a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily curfew for the city of Flint effective April 2 and ending May 1. For more details, go to cityofflint.com/covid-19/.
- The state of Michigan has established a webpage, michigan.gov/fightcovid19 to provide an updated directory of volunteer opportunities throughout the state. Medical, community, public health and senior citizen care are among the categories which also includes information on donating blood and a request form for those needing assistance for older adults.