The Birthplace for General Motors Corporation Has Seen Better Days

With the devastation to the local economy from GM’s pullout from Flint in the 80s, what with the demise of Buick City, a 235 acre complex, which used to be where Buick’s were manufactured, down to Hamilton street, where the Worldwide  headquarters for Buick once sat, there are signs of life, not siesta.  Though the numbers will never erase all of those lost jobs and unproduced automobiles, Flint has arisen in this new century, from the shadow of the car, to become a beacon for education.  There are over 25,000 students currently enrolled in four institutions for higher learning here; Mott Community College, Kettering University, Baker College and the University of Michigan-Flint. 

In 1906, Charles Stewart Mott, came to Flint from Newark, New Jersey, with an engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology, along with William C. Durant and Albert Champion, of champion spark plugs, started General Motors.  Mott had become so successful with GM that he started the world renown Mott Foundation and his philanthropy began.  With his own money he donated land and  Flint Junior College began and it became Mott Community College years later.  The University of Michigan-Flint, (UM-Flint) began in a building on the (M.C.C.) campus and Mott was very much involved in its development.

In a lot of ways you can rightly attribute much of the success of Kettering University to Mott as well, because it started out as General Motors Institute.  Back then it was the unique institution where engineers and supervisors received their specialized training, which consisted of classroom instruction and factory employment.  There were two sections, section A would be made up of students taking classes; while section B would be made up of students working in the plants. Both group had to obtain a sponsor, they would spend an equal time in classes and in the factory.  Upon graduation the (G.M.I) grads were pretty much assured of employment for they had already demonstrated to the instructors and supervisors in the plant their work ethic.  Kettering University is named for Charles F. Kettering, it was founded in 1927 as (G.M.I.).  Kettering held more patents anyone, he held more than 200.  He founded Delco, which stood for the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company and his most notable invention, was the electric automobile self-starter.

Back in 1935 Mott attended a meeting where Frank J. Manley spoke of the need to help troubled youths in the Flint community and their affiliation was aided by Michigan State University Professor Ernest O. Melby, they started the Community School Program.  The innovative idea was to open school in the evening’s  so that adult’s could come there and take courses and share recreation, it became so successful that it spread throughout the country and abroad. The concept of the Community School Director started in Flint, due to the efforts of Mott and others.

In the 80s UM-Flint moved to its current location in downtown Flint by the Flint River.  It now sits where the defunct AutoWorld Amusement Theme Park once was located, at Fifth Avenue and North Saginaw Street.  In 1984 AutoWorld was an $80-million investment and it closed within its first year of operation, but it had a grand plan.  To increase tourism to Flint, while honoring the vehicle that we all love the automobile.  Though various efforts were made to revive it, finally in 1997 it was imploded and “the land was sold to the UM-Flint.  Further mention of the site should be for the Industrial Mutual Association which had existed long before the park, it was merged into the theme park, but prior to then, (I.M.A.) was the auditorium where touring acts like The Shrine Circus and The Barry Gordy, Motown Revue were annual attractions for folks in the “Vehicle City.” 

A college on the south end of Flint, is Baker College, a business school and it has campuses from Muskegon, to Flint to Ontario, Canada.  With 30,000 students statewide, it has on campus housing for its students, as the other colleges here do, except for Mott Community College, which is a county-wide institution, supported by a millage approved by voters. Baker’s claims something no other college in the country does, it provides a complete bachelor degree program in its entirety in Ontario, Canada.  Canada is a next door neighbor to Michigan in the upper peninsular, and this calls to mind the Canada-USA games which is an annual competition between Flint and Hamilton, Ontario.

“The CANUSA Games were created in 1958 through the joint efforts of the Canadian and USA Amateur Athletic Unions.

Having conducted their Flint Olympian Games in July of the previous year, Flint officials were looking for another competition for their Olympian winners and contacted their A.A.U. for support. The A.A.U. of the United States contacted Canadian A.A.U. looking for a city of’ comparable size and interests. Hamilton was selected, hence the birth of CANUSA (Canada – U.S.A.) Games. It was also decided that the site of the Games would alternate yearly between the two cities.

The CANUSA Games presently have about 1600 athletes in 20 sport areas, and while the organization has grown considerably, the ideals remain the same; volunteers working in their community for the social and recreational betterment of young and old.

Every year the CANUSA Games’ Opening Ceremonies provide many highlights. One of these is most certainly the annual 245 mile marathon run between Flint and Hamilton. It is one of the longest international runs in North America, beginning in the visiting City the evening prior to the Opening Ceremonies and culminating in the runners arriving at the host City’s site for Opening Ceremonies. It is a very emotional moment for all who witness the arrival of the torch runners, the circling of the track and the lighting of the large torch which symbolizes the official opening of the Games for that year.” (http://canusagames.com/history.cfm)

Mott Community College has a program geared for high school students, in conjunction with the Genesee Intermediate School District. It is called Mott Middle/Early College.

Some: Historical Highlights

1993  

Selected as one of four national middle college pilot sites for the American Social History Program (A.S.H.P.) and as the Midwestern Site for the Dissemination of the A.S.H.P. Curriculum; Mott Middle/Early College initiated the first outreach program of national (A.S.H.P.) Curriculum

1994  

Selected as the Midwestern Site for the Replication of Middle Colleges

2003  

Mott Middle/Early College received a national Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation award to implement an EXCEL/Early College component 

2005  

Mott Middle/Early College featured in documentary “Fresh Start” produced by WFUM TV-Channel 28

Graduated first EXCEL level III student, who earned two associate’s degrees/

high school diploma in 4 years”

Kettering University and UM-Flint share an avenue, formerly known as Third Avenue, but Flint City Council recently voted to change the name to “University Avenue” in honor of both schools who have gained national attention for their programs and alumni.

An honorary alumni of Kettering are:

 Bing was recently the number one vote getter in the election to become the next mayor of Detroit.  He comes to the political arena after being a successful entrepreneur and chairman of Bing Steel, a major parts supplier to the auto industry in Motown. (http://en.wikipedia,org)

Alumni from UM-Flint include:

“Michael Moore – Oscar winner and documentarian.”  Famous for his first documentary: “Roger & Me” in it Moore documented the decline of Flint’s manufacturing industry culminating in GM, slashing 30,000 jobs from the city in its numerous cutbacks.

“LaKisha Jones – American Idol Season 6 contestant.”  (http://en.wikipedia.org)

Baker College has a program called Articulation:

“Articulation is a process whereby students can earn college credit for demonstrating skills and competencies developed in high school or in adult education settings. Students who participate in the Baker College articulation program save hundreds of tuition dollars and may lessen the time required to complete their college education. This Web page is designed to explain the procedures to follow in applying for articulation credit at Baker College.  

Baker College has streamlined its articulation process by providing all necessary forms, applications, and Competency Check Sheets via this Web site. Materials are now easily accessible for students, parents, high school counselors, and teachers. To participate in the articulation program, a student must be a student or graduate of a high school, career technical center, or other training program listed under Participating Schools.”

Today, in the 21st century the  “Vehicle City” has had to remake itself, following the up and down economy, that comes from being a town which is too centered on one industry, automobile manufacturing.  But its hard to be mad at the fine efforts of those pioneers, like Charles Stewart Mott and his Philanthropy, via the Mott Foundation, which has contributed to programs and communities around the world.  But the thing that jumps at you when you really look at it, is this, without the automotive contributions of many, some of whom were not mentioned in this article, the fresh start in the educational sector could not have happened without, the pioneering spirit of those who moved here for a better life. That’s something we all can agree is really the point of moving somewhere in the first place.