---

Ford Motor Company Invests $3.7 Million in Purdue

7 October 1999

Ford Motor Company Invests $3.7 Million in Purdue

    WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Oct. 7 -- Ford Motor Company
today pledged $3.7 million over a five-year period to Purdue University to
enhance educational opportunities and provide support for several university
programs and facilities.  The contribution is made possible by Ford Motor
Company Fund.
    When added to other donations from Ford, the grant brings this year's
total announced Ford contribution to Purdue to $8.7 million, said President
Steven C. Beering, who accepted the contribution from W. Wayne Booker, Ford
vice chairman.
    The grant will provide substantial support for the Krannert New Building
Campaign, and help fund programs and equipment at the NVH Center of Excellence
at the Herrick Laboratories of the School of Mechanical Engineering, the
Center for Collaborative Manufacturing, and the Robot Vision lab.
    The Ford contribution also will fund undergraduate engineering
scholarships and School of Technology scholarships.  In addition, the donation
will strengthen diversity initiatives by funding the Women in Engineering
Mentoring Program, the Minority Engineering Program, the School of Science
Minority Bridge Program as well as supporting minority student organizations.
    "This gift is notable because it demonstrates Ford Motor's expanding
commitment to Purdue," Beering said.  "With more than 1,000 of the
university's graduates among its employees, Ford has a long tradition of
hiring Purdue graduates.  In fact, Ford has been one of the major recruiters
of Krannert alumni for the past six years and hires more of its employees from
Purdue than any other university outside the state of Michigan."
    Booker, a 1956 economics graduate of Purdue from Sullivan, Ind., said:
"The gift reflects Ford's faith in Purdue's educational leadership for the
global business community of the 21st century.  Ford sees its partnership with
Purdue as a sound investment in the future and a win for everyone involved."
    Ford's contribution is an important landmark in Purdue's fundraising
campaign for Krannert.  So far, the campaign has raised $14 million toward the
$55 million goal, with $31 million of that earmarked for a new building
devoted to classrooms and distance learning.  Krannert enrolls 3,170 students,
of whom 2,471 are undergraduates and 699 are working on advanced degrees.  The
school offers undergraduate majors in management, accounting, industrial
management and economics.  This year, Krannert also opened a graduate school
in Hanover, Germany.
    Krannert Dean Richard Cosier, the Leeds Professor of Management, said the
Ford gift not only will help the school reach its goal, it provides leadership
for others to follow.  "Certainly Ford's support for Krannert's vision will be
noted by other companies across the country," Cosier said.  "It says clearly
that Purdue is a wise investment."
    The Ford grant also supports university efforts in the area of finance and
the Dauch Center for the Management of Manufacturing Enterprises.