Ford gift drives new Kellogg unit

Ford Motor Company announced today last week the establishment of the Ford Motor Company Center for Global Citizenship at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

In presenting the $3 million gift to University President Henry S. Bienen, Ford Group Vice President and Chief of Staff John Rintamaki said, "We're committing Ford -- in a very public way -- to a path of leadership in global citizenship."

"This gift is one of the largest corporate donations made to the university and represents a vote of confidence in the capabilities of our faculty," said Bienen. "Coming as it does during Campaign Northwestern, it also highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving -- one of the cornerstones of Northwestern's strategic vision."

The Ford Motor Company Center merges Kellogg's Center for the Study of Ethical Issues in Business and the Kellogg Environmental Research Center and will focus on environment, ethics and social responsibility issues. The new center, under the leadership of Professor David Messick, will bring together the academic disciplines of management and organizations, accounting, strategic change and leadership. Its goal is to become the most visible center in the country for all aspects of global citizenship.

Kellogg's interest in looking above and beyond the conventional areas of business ethics and corporate giving, and exploring how businesses can become vital, contributing citizens in the regions of the world in which they operate is very closely aligned with Ford's strategy of becoming a leader in corporate citizenship.

"It's apparent from what has been achieved under the outstanding leadership of Dean Donald Jacobs and his team that Kellogg is committed to transformation as a persistent process, not just one-time events, keeping Kellogg continually ahead of the curve, and attracting a caliber of business student that is second to none, with terrific results," said Vaughn Koshkarian, vice president—Ford Motor Company, and president, Asia Pacific Operations. "Those philosophies resonate strongly and deeply with Ford Motor Company."

"The Kellogg Graduate School of Management is pleased to have the support of the Ford Motor

Company to initiate this important center for our students. Global citizenship and responsibility is of keen interest to the entire Kellogg community. Ford is making it possible for us to pursue new areas of faculty research, develop curriculum and disseminate the findings to a much wider audience," said Jacobs.

Ford Motor Company is the world's second largest automaker, with approximately 335,000 employees in 200 markets on six continents. Its automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Credit, Quality Care and Hertz.