DETROIT, May 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nissan North America, Inc., will contribute $1.5 million to the SAE Foundation's "Inspiring a New Generation" campaign, according to Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's President and Chief Executive Officer.
Ghosn's announcement came during this evening's SAE Foundation annual banquet held at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center. Ghosn was honored as the recipient of the 2007 Manufacturing Leadership Award at the event.
"Nissan is pleased to partner with the SAE Foundation to sponsor 'A World in Motion,'" Ghosn said. "By introducing children to science and math in their early school years, we hope to nurture a passion that will stay with them forever. This investment in education is an investment in the future since we're helping to prepare young people to succeed in a truly competitive, global environment."
"The SAE Foundation is proud to honor an individual as worthy as Carlos Ghosn, and we are very pleased and grateful for his announcement this evening regarding the contribution. When you have companies with the stature of Nissan supporting our Foundation's efforts with students, I think it speaks highly about both Nissan's corporate culture, as well as the worthiness of the SAE Foundation's programs," SAE Foundation Chairman Daniel M. Hancock said. Hancock is Chairman GM Powertrain, Vice President Engineering Operations, General Motors Corporation.
While Nissan has been a long-time supporter of the SAE Foundation, this gift is recognized as being Nissan's largest to the Foundation. The funds will be earmarked to develop a curriculum focusing on elementary-school children in Kindergarten through Grade Three for the Foundation's "A World in Motion" program.
Nissan's gift has aided the SAE Foundation in raising $20.5 million to date; the "Inspiring a New Generation" campaign has a goal of $25 million.
The Nissan gift continues the SAE Foundation's history of having top-level support from the automotive industry's most prominent companies including DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Caterpillar and Toyota.
For more information on the SAE Foundation, please visit http://www.saefoundation.org .
Contact: Nancy Lewis or Shawn Andreassi, of SAE International, 1-248-273- 4092 or email pr@sae.org