Cars to careers - GM makes a dent in school funding

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Thanks to a Canadian automotive giant, some First Nations students will be among those who receive major scholarship funding at the University of Toronto.

General Motors of Canada announced in early January that it was pledging $2 million to the university to help women, physically challenged and First Nations students from Ontario.

Both the university and the Ontario government also decided to follow in GM's footsteps, pledging $1.65 million each, thus creating a total of more than $5 million in scholarship funding.

"This extraordinary commitment from GM helps ensure that all qualified students have access to educational opportunities in all U of T disciplines," said university president Robert Prichard.

"We are extremely grateful for this unique and generous gift. The scholarship funds are specifically earmarked for students who have often faced major obstacles on their path to higher education."

Maureen Kempston Drakes, the president of General Motors of Canada, said the company was keen on having the three groups benefit from its support.

"We wish to ensure that these groups can access our educational system, achieving all they aspire to and allowing them to maximize their contributions to and their participation in society," she said.

GM officials said $300,000 of its pledged support will go to First Nations or physically challenged students at Victoria College, one of the six undergraduate colleges at U of T.

"We're very keen on it," Susan McDonald, Victoria College's registrar said of GM's pledge. "It's great. They've given us free rein on how to administer it."

McDonald believes the scholarships targeted for Victoria College will start being handed out this September. One scholarship will annually

be awarded to a physically challenged student while three others (one is actually a grant) will be for First Nations students.

One will be an admission scholarship to a resident from Ontario. This recipient will have displayed not only academic merit but also a financial need. Providing good grades are maintained, this scholarship will be renewed for future years.

There will also be an annual scholarship available for a First Nation student who is already studying at Victoria College. This scholarship will be based on academic merit alone.

McDonald said she doesn't know exactly how many of Victoria College's 3,500 full-time students are Native but believes at least a dozen of them are. As for the grant, McDonald said money will also be made available each year to a First Nations U of T student who requires emergency funding.

McDonald is hoping news of the scholarships spreads in First Nations communities.

"We're very keen to promote this," she said. "It might take a year for it though to have a higher profile."