NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
MCPHERSON, Kan. — McPherson College President Michael Schneider noted that in addition to the group of students that brought the 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Cabriolet to Pebble Beach in August, there were many alumni that were there as part of the jobs they got after graduation.
"All the cars line up to go out on tour on Thursday before the car show on Sunday," Schneider said. "I counted our alums on at least 75 of those different cars that were lined up to go on that tour. They are out there. A lot of them couldn't enjoy some of the festivities, because, quite honestly, they were working on some of the other of the world's best cars."
The Auto Restoration program at McPherson College is the only one of its kind in the United States.
"You're talking about a cap of 170 students," Schneider said. "Forty-five students a year who come into the program, 45 to 50. It's a four year liberal arts degree program. Students turn down top engineering schools like Michigan, MIT and others to come to school at McPherson College."
There is an amazing demand for these graduates expertise.
"We stopped doing job fairs," Schneider said. "We do internship fairs. We have a very robust internship program. Students can have one, two, three, four, some students have four internships, that move right into a job. This industry is hungry for labor. They are hungry for students, not just to work in their shops, but take over their shop. These students are the future of this industry."
Over the years, more than 25 McPherson College students have earned college scholarships from Pebble Beach.
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