Tucson Residents' Scholarship Benefits Engineering Fraternity

HOUGHTON, MI (04/17/2012)(readMedia)-- A scholarship created by a Tucson couple is helping engineering students at Michigan Technological University.

The James D. and Monica A. Coté Endowed Scholarship provides $1,000 to the student with the highest fall-semester grade point average in the University's chapter of Theta Tau, the professional engineering fraternity.

"We set it up to recognize the top GPA of my fraternity and encourage academic achievement within the brotherhood," said James Coté, who earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Michigan Tech in 1962.

The Cotés established the scholarship with a gift of stock in 2000, after he retired as General Motors' chief engineer for medium-duty trucks.

"I am proud of my degree from Michigan Tech," Coté said. "It gave me a hands-on approach to engineering that a lot of my peers didn't have, and I've always valued it. I got a great education, and I'm very pleased to be able to help today's students receive that same great education."