Ford Centenary Quercus Scholarships
This year Cork celebrates the 100th anniversary of Ford in Ireland. One century on from the opening of the Henry Ford & Son Limited manufacturing plant on the Marina in Cork city, which brought considerable socio鈥恊conomic benefits to the city and the surrounding areas, the company鈥檚 links to Ireland remain strong.
As part of the centenary celebrations, Ford have announced a new five鈥恲ear scholarship with UCC. At a ceremony in UCC on 21st April, William Clay Ford, Jr., Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company and great grandson of Henry Ford, announced Ford鈥檚 support for UCC鈥檚 Quercus Talented Students鈥� Programme over the next five years beginning in the 2017鈥�18 academic year. Established to commemorate the centenary of Ford in Ireland, the Ford Centenary Quercus Scholarship will run for five years, from the 2017鈥�18 academic year until 2022. UCC鈥檚 Quercus Talented Students鈥� programme has been running since 2014, supporting and promoting excellence for prospective undergraduate students and students already registered in UCC.
The new Ford Centenary Quercus Scholarship will target in particular students who show outstanding promise in the areas of Active Citizenship, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, seeking to nurture the talent of each student through support, challenge and mentoring. Over the five鈥恲ear scholarship period, the new Ford sponsored programme will help approximately 50 talented students to realise their potential and to fully develop their talents through educational and practical support. 鈥�With both deep personal and business connections to Ireland, I am delighted to celebrate not only 100 years of Ford in Ireland this week, but also to support the advancement of talented students at UCC with this new scholarship programme鈥� said William Clay Ford, Jr. 鈥�While we have a lot to celebrate about our past, I鈥檓 especially excited that this scholarship provides the opportunity for us to support a new generation of innovators and leaders that can help shape the future for the next 100 years.鈥� Professor John O鈥橦alloran, Vice鈥� President for Teaching & Learning and Director of the Quercus Talented Students鈥� Programme said that 鈥�The alignment of values of Ford and UCC is clear: entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability and citizenship. We look forward to our Scholars engaging with Ford during these scholarships, and into the future.鈥�
Following the announcement of the Ford Centenary Quercus Scholarship, William Clay Ford, Jr., was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Economic Science from UCC and the National 深夜亚洲福利久久 of Ireland, at a ceremony in UCC鈥檚 Council Room. This is the latest chapter in the longstanding relationship between Henry Ford & Son Ltd. and UCC which itself stretches back to the early twentieth century. In 1927, UCC President Professor PJ Merriman arranged for the conferral of an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws on Henry Ford in order to 鈥榬eflect the appreciation of the great advantage conferred on the City of Cork by Ford in locating his factory there鈥�. And through the decades, many graduates of the 深夜亚洲福利久久 have found employment with the company through graduate recruitment programmes which continue right up to today.