Harold and Marian Poling have announced their pledge of $3 million to support international studies at Monmouth College.

February 15, 2001

Retired Ford Motor Company chairman Harold "Red" Poling and his wife, Marian, have pledged a $3 million gift to Monmouth College to enhance international studies. College president Richard F. Giese, who made the announcement to the college community earlier this week, anticipates a tremendous impact on Monmouth students.

"We’re grateful for the continued generosity and support of Red and Marian," said Giese. "They’ve given us an opportunity to create a program of distinction as we continue to globalize our curriculum and prepare our students to succeed in an increasingly interrelated world."

In 1992, the Polings donated the lead gift to transform the former Carnegie Library into a central administrative building, which is now called Poling Hall.

The new pledge covers a five-year span, and a portion of the first installment of the gift will be used to create a center for intercultural affairs. A director of intercultural life will be hired, and that person will be responsible for recruiting minority and international students and developing on-campus support services for these students. The director will also work with the college’s current off-campus program director to establish more international exchange programs and facilitate students going abroad.

Poling first attended Monmouth College during World War II as a cadet in the Navy’s V-12 program. Upon his discharge, he returned to Monmouth and completed his undergraduate degree in economics and business administration. Entering graduate studies at Indiana University, the Detroit native obtained a summer internship with the steel division of Ford Motor Company and later joined the company as a cost analyst in the steel mill.

He was elected a company vice president and president of Ford of Europe in October 1975 and two years later he was appointed chairman and CEO of Ford Europe. In 1979, Poling became executive vice president of the corporate staffs and a member of the board of directors, and the next year he was named executive vice president of North American Automotive Operations. In 1985, he became president and chief operating officer of Ford Motor Company and he was elected chairman and CEO of Ford in 1990. In recognition of his outstanding leadership in the automotive industry, Poling was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1999.

"Throughout much of my career with Ford, I had the opportunity to work abroad," said Poling, who has served on Monmouth College’s Board of Trustees since 1981. "The liberal arts background I received at Monmouth prepared me well for my career.

"Monmouth is the type of college that can have an impact in turning out students who can compete and succeed in a global society," he continued. "Companies today are looking for graduates who are comfortable with and in different cultures, and the only way to get that comfort is to get experience. Marian and I are pleased to be able to help the college in its efforts to give its students a more global perspective."