Rolls-Royce Foundation Champions Automotive Restoration Major
Thursday, July 5, 2012
One of the most prestigious and recognizable names in automobile history is lending its support to Pennsylvania College of Technology’s two-year automotive restoration technology major.
The Rolls-Royce Foundation has agreed to provide one car at a time, as available, for Penn College students to restore in the School of Transportation Technology’s automotive restoration labs. The first vehicle, a 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, is expected to arrive prior to the January start of the Spring 2013 semester.
The foundation – an independent, nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the heritage of Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motorcars – has also started a “building to endowed” scholarship to provide financial support to students in the associate-degree major.
Preference will be given to full-time students who have successfully completed two semesters of study in the new major, and who have maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The first $1,000 award is anticipated this fall.
“We are pleased to participate with Pennsylvania College of Technology in your automotive restoration technology program. By funding a scholarship and providing a vehicle to the program, we hope to expose students to the ‘Finest Car in The World,'" said Charles Jensik, chairman of the Rolls-Royce Foundation Board of Directors. “Together, we will educate and motivate the students to continue working on these vehicles after their Penn College experience. The complexity with elegance that is prevalent in these cars makes them engineering marvels and hopefully will spark the interest and challenge that will last a lifetime.”
In addition, faculty will have the opportunity to attend training seminars offered by the Rolls-Royce Foundation for its members, and faculty members and select students will be able to attend monthly meetings at which members work on museum and member cars.
Colin W. Williamson, the college’s dean of transportation technology, said: “It is an honor for us to partner with an association centered on one of the most unique and sought-after cars ever produced. The Rolls-Royce Foundation is to be commended for placing the student first by providing scholarship opportunities, as well as the chance to learn and work on handcrafted vehicles, both in class and alongside the members of the club."
The collaboration’s initial vehicle is a red, four-door saloon, representing the part played by Rolls-Royce in the history of the automobile and the role of the Silver Shadow in overall Rolls-Royce production. The Silver Shadow was produced from 1965-77, with approximately 16,700 standard saloons constructed.
Penn College’s automotive restoration major, being offered for the first time in the Fall 2012 semester, is an outgrowth of several vehicle projects involving the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey and the AACA’s Susquehannock Region.
The Collectors Foundation, an educational grant-making organization funded by classic vehicle and boat enthusiasts, has also embraced the endeavor with a sizable three-year grant.
For more information about making a gift to support Penn College and its students, visit the Institutional Advancement Office, call toll-free at 866-GIVE-2-PC or email.
For more about automotive restoration technology and other “degrees that work” in Penn College’s School of Transportation Technology, call 570-327-4516.
For information about Penn College, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.
The Rolls-Royce Foundation has agreed to provide one car at a time, as available, for Penn College students to restore in the School of Transportation Technology’s automotive restoration labs. The first vehicle, a 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, is expected to arrive prior to the January start of the Spring 2013 semester.
The foundation – an independent, nonprofit, charitable organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the heritage of Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motorcars – has also started a “building to endowed” scholarship to provide financial support to students in the associate-degree major.
Preference will be given to full-time students who have successfully completed two semesters of study in the new major, and who have maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher. The first $1,000 award is anticipated this fall.“We are pleased to participate with Pennsylvania College of Technology in your automotive restoration technology program. By funding a scholarship and providing a vehicle to the program, we hope to expose students to the ‘Finest Car in The World,'" said Charles Jensik, chairman of the Rolls-Royce Foundation Board of Directors. “Together, we will educate and motivate the students to continue working on these vehicles after their Penn College experience. The complexity with elegance that is prevalent in these cars makes them engineering marvels and hopefully will spark the interest and challenge that will last a lifetime.”
In addition, faculty will have the opportunity to attend training seminars offered by the Rolls-Royce Foundation for its members, and faculty members and select students will be able to attend monthly meetings at which members work on museum and member cars.
Colin W. Williamson, the college’s dean of transportation technology, said: “It is an honor for us to partner with an association centered on one of the most unique and sought-after cars ever produced. The Rolls-Royce Foundation is to be commended for placing the student first by providing scholarship opportunities, as well as the chance to learn and work on handcrafted vehicles, both in class and alongside the members of the club."
The collaboration’s initial vehicle is a red, four-door saloon, representing the part played by Rolls-Royce in the history of the automobile and the role of the Silver Shadow in overall Rolls-Royce production. The Silver Shadow was produced from 1965-77, with approximately 16,700 standard saloons constructed.
Penn College’s automotive restoration major, being offered for the first time in the Fall 2012 semester, is an outgrowth of several vehicle projects involving the Antique Automobile Club of America Museum in Hershey and the AACA’s Susquehannock Region.
The Collectors Foundation, an educational grant-making organization funded by classic vehicle and boat enthusiasts, has also embraced the endeavor with a sizable three-year grant.
For more information about making a gift to support Penn College and its students, visit the Institutional Advancement Office, call toll-free at 866-GIVE-2-PC or email.
For more about automotive restoration technology and other “degrees that work” in Penn College’s School of Transportation Technology, call 570-327-4516.
For information about Penn College, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.