His talk, titled “The Auto Industry: From Recovery to Revolution,” also focused on the uncertainty faced by the automobile industry earlier this decade, a newfound recognition of manufacturing in the United States and the transportation issues that modern nations will face in the coming years.
“Technology is really liberating us now and is allowing us to achieve a vision that I’ve always held but has always been out of reach,” Ford said in the lecture.
Ford cited his time at the University as the source of his commitment to environmental causes and said it was initially difficult to convince other people in the firm and his industry to seriously consider the issue.
“There was this head-in-the-sand mentality in Detroit,” Ford said. “I was considered a Bolshevik and lots of other things by suggesting that we need to be much more conscious about the fuel economy.”
Ford’s talk was part of the G.S. Beckwith Gilbert ’63 annual lecture series, which was established in 1988 to bring innovative leaders to the University’s campus. Former Gilbert lecture speakers include Jeff Bezos ’86, Steve Forbes ’70 and Meg Whitman ’77.
“I’ve tried to come to every Gilbert lecture because it gives you an opportunity to hear from international leaders that are creating change in the world,” President Shirley Tilghman, who attended the event, said.
She added that it was rare for the head of an automobile company to give a lecture on campus and that Ford’s thoughts were particularly “forward-thinking.”
Students and community members who attended the event also spoke highly of Ford’s lecture.
Willa Chen ’13, who lives in Detroit, described the lecture as “engaging.”
“I wanted to hear what he would say to us young people about the future direction of the automobile industry,” she said. “It was a lot more accessible than I expected.”
“He showed a depth of knowledge on environmental issues, which is impressive, considering how long the U.S. auto industry fought tooth and nail against developments like these,” said Art MacDowell, a local resident who attended the event.
“His great-grandfather was a visionary, and the original Ford’s great-grandson is a visionary again, so it’s sort of resurrecting that idea,” MacDowell added.
Ford serves as chairman of his company’s Environmental and Public Policy Committee. He is also vice chairman of the Detroit Lions and led efforts to build the team’s environmentally friendly stadium, Ford Field.
After pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history from the University, Ford went on to receive a master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1984. Ford became chief executive of the company in 2001 and was appointed to his current position of executive chairman of the board in 2006. Ford is also a former University trustee.
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