Posted on August 14, 2012

Mott Foundation Commits $15.5 Million to Kettering University

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in Flint, Michigan, has announced a $15.5 million commitment to Kettering University in support of several programs designed to increase student enrollment, bolster Flint's economy, and boost alumni participation in the school's various efforts.

Mott plans to award a series of grants to Kettering over the next three or more years on condition that the school meets specific criteria. Kettering will use the grants to advance a set of strategies aimed at growing and retaining its student body, nurturing its effect on the economy of the Flint region, communicating its identity to a broader audience, and building alumni relationships and revenue.

Those strategies include redesigning admissions and graduation criteria for educational programs outside Kettering's traditional engineering curricula; expanding programs that engage local high school students in the study and exploration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and developing initiatives focused on helping entrepreneurs create new products and businesses. The first grant made as part of the initiative, totaling more than $2 million, was awarded in May.

"Kettering has a long-standing tradition of academic excellence, highlighted by inspired teaching that offers a blend of classroom and real-world learning," said Mott Foundation president and CEO William S. White. "Across Michigan we are seeing higher learning institutions play transformational roles, both in their home communities and throughout the entire state. These initiatives, with Mott support, will build on Kettering's strengths and help the institution lead the way in redefining the way colleges engage with their communities and educate young people for the twenty-first century."