Ford Motor Company establishes new scholarship program at Villanova

The Ford Motor Company has established a new scholarship for incoming freshmen at Villanova. The scholarship, totaling $250,000, was made possible through donations from the Ford Motor Company and provides funding for six students to attend Villanova for four years.

The Ford Motor Company Scholarship would not have been possible without the generosity of 1964 alumnus James O’Connor, then president of  the  Ford Division of Ford Motor Company (he has since been promoted to Group Vice President of North American Marketing Sales and Services). The Ford team, including O’Connor, Tom O’Connell and Peter Fong, a 1986 graduate, worked closely with Joan Chrestay of University Development and Michael Gaynor and Claire Darmanin of Admission to craft the scholarship and make it a reality. Both parties have high hopes for the partnership. The proposal states, “The potential leaders who will benefit from the scholarship will forever be indebted to this visionary commitment by the Ford Motor Company to the ideals and mission of Villanova University, and to Ford’s endeavor to help create a better society.”

Incoming freshmen Christopher Auffenberg and Rachel Karl have been selected to receive the first Ford Motor Company Scholarship. Both students will receive $15,000 in aid per year for four years and a summer internship with Ford.

The students selected met an impressive set of criteria. The grant was awarded to students from the Philadelphia or Detroit metro area that demonstrated “high academic achievement and a potential for leadership.” Academically, the students needed a minimum SAT score of 1300 and a high school ranking in the top ten percent of their graduating class. Potential for leadership was determined by their involvement in extracurricular activities and volunteer service.  Preference was given to students who will pursue a course of study that generally matches the recruiting and employment needs of the Ford Motor Company. This included business, engineering, science, information technology and computer science. 

Auffenberg comes to Villanova from the University of Detroit Jesuit, a preparatory school. He plans to major in Commerce and Finance. Karl currently attends Marian High School in Detroit and plans to major in Civil Engineering.