General Motors Corp. recently donated more than $100,000 to the University of Missouri-Rolla through GM’s Partners in Excellence grant program.         

As part of an ongoing partnership, GM makes donations to UMR on an annual basis. This year, GM is supporting the following at UMR:         

— GM Scholars Program ($20,000)

— Minority Engineering and Women in Science and Engineering programs ($14,000)

— Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education ($10,000)

— Engineers Without Borders ($10,000)

— Student Design and Experiential Learning Center ($9,000)

— Manufacturing engineering curriculum development ($7,000)

— Career Opportunities Center ($2,500)

— Faculty Excellence Awards ($2,500)

GM also contributed an additional $28,500 to the Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) program at UMR. Through PACE, corporations like GM support selected academic institutions worldwide to encourage the development of engineers, designers and managers who are prepared to enter the work force at a high level of expertise. The PACE program helps UMR ensure that its students are exposed to the latest technology.                  

Among the GM executives who visited UMR April 17 to present the two checks were Robert Kruse, executive director of vehicle integration, safety, regional chief engineers and performance division for GM North America Engineering; and engineering group manager Dale Morse, engineering group manager, who is responsible for managing the computer aided engineering activities in GM’s interior vehicle systems group. Kruse earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at UMR in 1981. Morse earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UMR in 1979.