HOUGHTON — Representatives from General Motors were on Michigan Tech’s campus to present the university with a special gift Thursday morning.

The General Motors Foundation wrote two checks to Michigan Tech that total $125,000.  The donations are part of GM’s ongoing relationship of helping the university with its programs.  GM has been supporting Michigan Tech since 1940.  The partnership is evident in these grants and what they are going to be used for.

“Part of it focused on the core engineering aspects STEM and focused on automotive research, fuel economy and diversity programs,” GM Global Facilities director of operations Steven Tomaszewski said.

The second check was for the Ride the Waves program.  The program reaches out to youth who want to pursue a career in the water.

Tomaszewski said the two grants are GM’s way of showing appreciation for the work MTU does in preparing students for working in the field.

“Many of our engineers in General Motors are alumni,” he said.  “Our alumni are global and that partnership with Michigan Tech is actually global.”

Many MTU students and faculty were present for the ceremony and expressed their deep gratitude for the grants.