President Vicente Fox Quesada of Mexico and First Lady Martha Sahagún de Fox were the honored guests of Oakland University June 18 at a special event in the Athletics Center.

“It is a special honor for me to receive at my university the president of my country and Mrs. Fox,” said Parvati Del Razo, an Oakland University student from Mexico and the emcee of the event.  “Not only because they represent my home but also because they have proven to be a positive force for Mexico.”

At the event, it was announced that the Vicente Fox Quesada Scholarship has been established to make it possible for students to pursue a degree at Oakland, seek continuing education opportunities, or study in Mexico. Awards from the scholarship may be used for tuition, books, fees, airfare or other costs associated with study-abroad opportunities or fees for continuing education classes. Sponsors of the scholarship include the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund, MASCO Corporation, Collins & Aikman Corporation, Herman Miller Mexico S.A. de C.V., Delphi Corporation, Ford Motor Company, ArvinMeritor, Butzel Long, Valeo, Energy Conversion Devices-Uni-Solar Ovonic and Excel Technical Services.

“We are honored to welcome President Fox and the First Lady to Oakland University, and today we have forged what I know will be a long-standing friendship with the good citizens of Mexico,” said OU President Gary Russi. “This scholarship reaffirms Oakland University’s continuing commitment to diversity, and has been established to honor President Fox and Mexico’s rich culture and history. We are truly humbled that our guests are here with us today to share in this great news.”

Russi also announced that a tuition differential scholarship has been established so students with Mexican citizenship will be eligible to enroll at Oakland University with the scholarship funds covering the difference between out-of-state tuition and residential tuition rates, starting in fall 2004.