MARION - The Southern Illinois University Carbondale Automotive Department will not have a shortage of foreign cars to study thanks to a donation of 10 vehicles from American Suzuki Motor Corp.

The announcement was made official today at Foley-Sweitzer in Marion that the department would receive 10 Suzuki Veronas ranging in years from 2006 to 2008. Jack Greer, chair of the department, said this is the largest single donation the department has ever received. He said the cars will be used for a variety of classes, some fitted with faults so the students can figure out how to fix them. He said having the newer models will be extremely beneficial to the students.

"It keeps our program current," Greer said.

Lee Raines, regional service and parts manager for Foley-Sweitzer, is a graduate of the program and said he wants to help SIUC like it helped him.

"Not only did I receive an education, but I received skill sets I would not have been able to learn in the time set to learn them," Raines said.

Jim Sweitzer, dealer principal for Foley-Sweitzer, said the company is glad to have a partnership with SIUC because their automotive program churns out some of the most skilled workers in the field.

"They say if you want to be a winner, you have to be associated with winners," Sweitzer said.

Omar Trinidad, assistant professor with the automotive program, said the donation will be a considerable contribution to the college and the generosity of dealers such as Foley-Sweitzer help keep the program at the top.

"One of the things that make SIU great is the support from manufacturers," Trinidad said.

By: Codell Rodriguez, The Southern - codell.rodriguez@thesouthern.com