Southwestern Christian College Named Grand Prize Winner of First Ford HBCU Drive2Greatness National Contest

- With a campus population of 125 students, and garnering more than 114,000 points, Southwestern Christian College has been awarded the Ford Ultimate Homecoming Takeover grand prize, valued at $150,000

- First-, second- and third-place honors were awarded to Concordia College Alabama, Stillman College and Texas Southern University, who will share a prize pool of $90,000 for STEAM programming at their schools

- "A Different World" stars Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison to visit Southwestern Christian College campus Nov. 4 as part of community-wide award celebration

News provided by

Ford Motor Company

Nov 03, 2017, 09:52 ET

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Culminating eight weeks of a nationwide competition where students, alumni and supporters of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) cast votes for their favorite school, Southwestern Christian College, located in Terrell, Texas has been named grand prize winner of the first Ford HBCU Drive2Greatness program.

In addition to yearlong bragging rights, the college will receive Ford's Ultimate Homecoming Takeover experience, valued at $150,000, on its campus in 2018. To help celebrate this historic victory, actors Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison of "A Different World" will visit the campus on Saturday to take part in a community-wide celebration.

Three runner-up schools will receive funding to support programming geared toward science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics initiatives. First place and $50,000 will be awarded to Concordia College Alabama in Selma, Alabama. Second-place winner Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will receive $25,000. Located in Houston, Texas Southern University will be awarded $15,000 as the third-place winner.

"Congratulations to Southwestern Christian College on its historic victory in the inaugural Ford HBCU Drive2Greatness contest!" said Jennifer Edwards, Ford multicultural communications manager. "With broad participation across our HBCU campuses, the Drive2Greatness campaign represents more than a contest, serving as an important forum to spotlight Ford's legacy commitment and support of this vital higher education community."

The 2017 Ford HBCU Drive2Greatness national program kicked off Labor Day weekend at the Tom Joyner Family Reunion in Orlando, Florida, where Florida A&M University was awarded $10,000 to support its STEAM initiatives. The program encouraged students, alumni and supporters to earn points for their favorite school through online voting, including via social media platforms using a Ford-dedicated hashtag for each school.

The program was also supported through a partnership with national morning show hosts Tom Joyner and Rickey Smiley – two longtime Historically Black Colleges and Universities advocates who are committed to helping African American students go further in their studies and careers.

"The Drive2Greatness program is just one more way Ford continues in its efforts to partner with local communities to go further as a company when it comes to our commitment to higher education, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the growth of African American students," said Edwards.

To illustrate what awaits the grand prize winner, Ford showcased a preview of the Ultimate Homecoming Takeover with a weeklong series of activities that included a fashion show, DJ battle, empowerment expo, a lunch and learning mentoring session, student and alumni ride-and-drives, a tailgate party and other activities on the campuses of Morehouse College and Spelman College in Atlanta last month.

To join in on the social conversation, follow #FordHBCU.

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SOURCE Ford Motor Company