By Jane Meyers
Office of Development
AlliedSignal Inc. of Morristown, N.J., has made a $300,000 gift to the Michigan Joint Manufacturing Initiative (MJMI), an interdisciplinary program administered by the College of Engineering and the School of Business Administration. The program is designed to address the acute shortage of broadly trained professionals who understand both the engineering and business aspects of manufacturing.
In making the gift, Ralph Reins, president of AlliedSignal Automotive in Southfield and a member of the College of Engineering’s National Advisory Committee, said that the strengths of Michigan’s business and engineering facilities provide the potential for the University to be a national leader in manufacturing education and research.
“These new cross-discipline MJMI programs are an excellent response to the needs of American industry in such areas as quality management, statistical process control, technology management, industrial policy and product design,” said Reins, who holds a B.S.E. from the U-M.
“Manufacturing competitiveness must remain a high priority on our nation’s agenda, and Michigan’s new MJMI program ensures that some of the best minds in the country will be working on these challenges. AlliedSignal is committed to supporting this effort.”
Business School Dean B. Joseph White called AlliedSignal’s relationship with the U-M “a model corporate partnership,” and cited the company’s active involvement on MJMI’s Advisory Board, which works with students and faculty on such issues as curriculum development and career planning.
Engineering Dean Peter M. Banks expressed his appreciation for AlliedSignal’s “vote of confidence” in MJMI, and applauded its “sound investment in the future of American manufacturing.”
MJMI offers four degree programs leading to:
