J.D. Power donates $3M to alma mater Holy Cross

Courtesy J.D. Power, a Holy Cross alumnus seen here in a visit to campus, has donated $3 million for experiential learning, adding to previous donations he's made for Holy Cross students from Worcester County.

Write a Comment

By Grant Welker

J.D. Power, known for his namesake awards for cars and other consumer products, has given $3 million to the College of the Holy Cross, his alma mater.

The gift from Power's family foundation, the Kenrose Kitchen Table Foundation, which the Worcester school announced Monday, will support Holy Cross' Center for Liberal Arts in the World, which will be renamed for Power. Holy Cross said the funding will enable it to significantly expand experiential learning opportunities for students.

Already, nearly 60 percent of Holy Cross students participate in experiential learning, which combines learning with real-world projects, according to the college. Power's donation will move Holy Cross toward having all students participate in some kind of experiential learning.

"At Holy Cross, we expect our students to learn form a variety of experiences that take place in an outside the classroom," Provost Margaret Freije said in a statement.

Power is a Worcester native and a 1953 Holy Cross graduate. Many of his family members are also graduates, including his father, uncle, brother, daughter and grandson, according to the school. His daughter, Susan Power Curtin, is a Holy Cross trustee.

Power started J.D. Power & Associates nearly 50 years ago, and the company has grown to include consumer analytics, including ratings on automobiles, electronics, retail and health care. Its headquarters are in Costa Mesa, Calif., and it has 17 offices across the world.

The newly named J.D. Power Center for Liberal Arts in the World was established in 2016, and includes internships, student research and community- and project-based learning. New programs, including an alumni speaker series, are aimed specifically at recruiting low-income, first-generation and under-represented students to participate, Holy Cross said.