International Automakers Making an Impact on Campus

Washington DC August 29, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that international automakers aren't just investing in U.S.-based facilities and creating jobs, they are making a commitment to higher education in the U.S., reports The New York Times.

In 2002, Clemson University received $10 million from BMW (who has an assembly plant in Spartanburg, SC) – money which helped to jump-start a partnership today that includes a $1.5 billion automotive research and educational center and an automotive graduate engineering curriculum designed predominantly by the German automaker.

The company has also played a large role in the design of the department and the admissions recruiting process. Dr. Christian E. G. Przirembel, Clemson's vice president for research and economic development, said the partnership is in line with the university's land-grant mission of helping drive the regional economy.

BMW, as well as many other automakers in the U.S., have turned to these types of partnerships as a way of generating interest among bright students who one day could become automotive industry leaders of tomorrow.