Automotive supplier Meritor donates $25,000 to new facility
In continuing its symbiotic relationship with the Mike Ilitch School of Business, Meritor Inc. has donated $25,000 to the new Ilitch School facility in the District Detroit. To recognize its generous gift, the Ilitch School will name an interview room and a “sticky space” after Meritor.
The Meritor Interview Room will provide valuable space in which recruiters can meet and discuss employment opportunities with students. It is one of seven such interview rooms within the second-floor Career Planning and Placement suite. In addition, the Meritor Sticky Space will be located adjacent the interview room. Sticky spaces, tucked into various hallways throughout the new facility, will operate as informal study areas for students before and after classes.
Meritor, headquartered in Troy, is a leading global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicles and industrial markets. Six years ago, the company chose to strengthen ties with Wayne State based on the sizable number of WSU alumni who have been successful at Meritor and the close connection many of the students have to the metropolitan Detroit area, said Tim Heffron, senior vice president of human resources and chief information officer for the company. Heffron also serves as a member of the Ilitch School’s Board of Visitors.
“Meritor has had excellent experience with the graduates from the Mike Ilitch School of Business,” Heffron said. “We find that they have a strong work ethic, are eager to learn, and manage to be successful within the organization.”
The company has since established an endowed scholarship and an annual scholarship to recognize scholastic achievement, encourage continued progress and provide financial assistance to students. Heffron said Meritor continues to look for ways to buttress its relationship with the Ilitch School.
“The construction of the new business school building presented another great opportunity to provide support,” Heffron said. “We believe the various investments we are making will help ensure that students have an increased level of awareness about our organization and the career opportunities we offer.”
In 2018, the Ilitch School will move to its new facility at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Temple Street, made possible by a $40 million lead gift from Mike and Marian Ilitch. The new location brings students closer to the heart of Detroit’s business community and enhances access to internship and career opportunities.
The new home of the Mike Ilitch School of Business offers a unique selection of facility naming options. Such opportunities help underwrite remaining construction costs and long-term care of the new facility. Naming opportunities range from $10,000 for a student work area to $4 million to support the trading room/finance and data analytics lab. To learn more, contact Major Gift Officer Amy Heitman at 313-577-9208 or amy.heitman@wayne.edu.
