Tim Manganello is a distinguished alumnus and generous supporter of Michigan Engineering. His experiences and insights gained leading one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world, BorgWarner, have been exceptionally valuable to the U-M College of Engineering and to the U-M Department of Mechanical Engineering for several years. We asked him recently to tell us a little about his relationship with the University and with U-M ME.

What made you choose Michigan for your Engineering degree?
As a high school student at Brother Rice HS, I visited the Ann Arbor campus with my parents and fell in love with the main campus. We were walking through the West Quad Engineering building and we met one of the professors. We all had a nice conversation and he sold me on U of M. Michigan was the only school I applied to and I was extremely pleased to be accepted to the Engineering School.

What was your favorite class or experience as a student?
My favorite classes were the classes related to “Stress Strain and Reliability.” In addition, my engineering background gave me a logical approach for problem solving. Which was helpful throughout my varied career.

How have you stayed engaged and connected to the department since graduating?
For about 5-6 years I was on the Engineering School Advisory Committee. In conjunction with my old company, we made a joint donation for naming rights for the Mechanical Engineering Dept. Chair. I still donate annually to the University and the Athletic Dept. Over the years, I encouraged my old Company (BorgWarner Inc.) to make naming rights donations in the BorgWarner name for the Ann Arbor and Dearborn Engineering Departments. I also encouraged Borg to recruit Michigan Engineers.

What inspires you to support the department philanthropically?
I believe in supporting the Engineering Dept., the University and paying it forward since my Michigan Engineering degree and background was a contributor to my career success.

What is the coolest thing you’ve worked on as an engineer?
While at Chrysler Corporation during my first career job out of college, I was the Chassis Engineering Launch Coordinator for the original launch of the Omni and Horizon vehicles. It was a real learning experience both technically and in leadership development.

As the CEO of BorgWarner I enjoyed traveling around the world as we opened new plants and Technical Centers to support their local auto industries and meeting the various local employees.