Campaign Update
The Michigan Difference campaign made great progress this fiscal year, reaching its $2.5 billion goal in May. During the remaining year of the campaign, schools and units will focus on their unmet goals as well as the overall goals that remain unmet, including faculty and student support and building goals. In addition, the campaign has $10 million to raise in bequest intentions, a vital campaign goal that provides future funding for the University and unit priorities.
Donor generosity to The Michigan Difference campaign has already made a significant difference in the lives of our faculty, students, patients, and community.
- 168 endowed professorships have been established during the campaign, bringing the total to 436 at the University.
- 1,000 endowed scholarships, both merit and need-based, have been established and students are experiencing the benefits.
- 14 building projects have met their campaign goals.
- Nine of those buildings have opened, providing faculty, patients, and the community with exceptional places to teach, study, conduct research, and receive care.
The University’s first-ever faculty-staff giving campaign, the Heart of the Michigan Difference, has raised more than $114 million to date under the leadership of campaign chairs Paul N. Courant, professor of economics and public policy and director of the University library, and Stephanie Pinder-Amaker, former associate dean of students. Almost 15,000 University employees have contributed to the campaign, which supports students, faculty, and programs, as well as helping to build and renovate facilities.
The Michigan Faculty Senate has endowed the need-based U-M Faculty Undergraduate Scholarship to support Michigan students selected by the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA). Gifts from more than 55 faculty members, totaling more than $25,000, have been matched by the President’s Donor Challenge. The largest contributions were made by SACUA Chair and Pharmacology Professor Dr. Charles B. Smith and his wife, Emerita Research Professor Peggie J. Hollingsworth (PhD ’83), Psychology Professor Emeritus Donald R. Brown and his wife, June (AMLSA ’69), and the Roger L. McCarthy Professor of Mechanical Engineering Noboru Kikuchi.
Fiscal Year Update
In February, the University of Michigan lost two of its most devoted alumni donors, Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. and Edwin Meader. The volunteer leadership of Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. (PHC ’28, HMS ’51, HLHD ’92) of Chicago reached back to the 1950s campaign for the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Project—one of the first fundraising campaigns ever organized by a public university, in support of one of America’s first efforts to research peacetime uses of atomic energy. He served on the national committee of the successful 1964-67 campaign, which raised $72 million, and the first Campaign for Michigan in the early 1980s, which generated $187 million. He was also national chair of the College of Pharmacy’s steering committee and served on its dean’s advisory committee until his death. A recent $10 million gift from Mr. Walgreen and his wife, Jean, established the new Charles R. Walgreen, Jr. Drama Center, completed in spring 2007.
Edwin Meader (AB ’33) of Kalamazoo had most recently expressed his lifelong passion for archaeology through an $8.5 million leadership gift with his wife, Mary
Upjohn Meader, to construct the new William E. Upjohn Exhibit Hall for the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. The renovation will dramatically increase the museum’s exhibit space and create valuable research and study facilities. The Meaders’ history of Michigan philanthropy also includes a $10 million gift to the Depression Center, housed in the new Rachel Upjohn Building. It is the first center in the U.S. devoted entirely to research and treatment of depression and related disorders. Edwin Meader was also a benefactor of the University Musical Society, Hill Auditorium, the Department of Chemistry, the Kellogg Eye Center, the Medical School, and the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
President Coleman’s President’s Donor Challenge for need-based scholarships and endowed professorships began on October 1, 2006. In the ensuing eight months, the Challenge attracted almost $15 million for need-based financial scholarships, all of which will be matched dollar for dollar. The program, which continues through December, has also already reached its goal of creating 20 new professorships by the end of 2007.
The passage of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 has been a boon for donors to Michigan. The Act enables friends of the University to make gifts from their IRAs through the end of 2007 without including those funds in their calculation of gross annual income. So far 178 donors have taken advantage of this program, giving a total of $4 million in gifts.
Lt. Col. John O. Robertson of Palm Bay, FL, established seven gift annuities for U-M, bringing his total gift annuities for the campaign to 28, for a total value of $128,000 by the close of fiscal year 2007. Robertson had previously established two charitable remainder unitrusts and a bequest for the benefit of the University. All of his gifts are dedicated to the Ruth Lobdell Scholarship Fund. The Fund provides scholarships to students from select Mississippi community colleges.
William and Rebecca (CERTT EDUC ’56; CERTT EDUC ’61, AM ’62, PhD ’80) Horvath of Ann Arbor have created a $300,000 deferred charitable gift annuity for the Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
The DTE Energy Foundation committed $1.5 million to the College of Engineering and the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute, U-M’s hub for the study of alternative energy technologies, to create the DTE Energy Professorship of Advanced Energy Research. The professorship will foster knowledge and expertise in areas such as alternative energy sources, storage and conversion, transportation and fuels, and sustainability, affirming Michigan’s leadership in multidisciplinary, energy-related research and the Foundation’s commitment to energy solutions. This gift brings DTE’s corporate and foundation giving to a total of well
over $3 million for the campaign.
A series of three further gifts from the DTE Energy Foundation will fund key initiatives at UM-Dearborn: $150,000 to launch the School of Management’s new Executive MBA program, which will focus on the needs of the greater Detroit regional business community with an emphasis on program quality, flexibility, and affordability; $50,000 to fund the Environmental Interpretive Center’s production of videos about the Rouge River watershed, which will be used to educate southeast Michigan citizens and schoolchildren about the ecology of the region; and $20,000 (the second of two such gifts from the Foundation) to the Institute for Local Government, to support the development and marketing of leadership training seminars for newly elected officials.
Ann Arbor-based NSF International has donated $1.5 million to establish the NSF International Department Chair in Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health. NSF, which was founded at the School more than 60 years ago, is a not-for-profit organization that develops national standards and certifies food, water, and consumer goods. The NSF International Department Chair will be held by the seated department chairperson. NSF CEO and President Kevan Lawlor is a member of the School of Public Health Dean’s Advisory Board.
A six-year, $1.97 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies will enable U-M to launch a postdoctoral program preparing recent PhDs for careers in the humanities and social sciences. Beginning in fall 2008, the three-year fellowships will provide recipients with financial support to prepare the major publication typically required of them in order to obtain a tenured faculty position.
Grateful for the opportunities their son discovered during his education at UM-Flint, Barry (BBA ’74) and Denise Trantham of Flushing, MI, gave $25,000 to Flint’s innovative Challenge Program. The Tranthams’ gift will pay the cost of student materials for Flint’s Challenge 101, which matches incoming students with upperclass mentors, conveys an awareness of academic resources, promotes discussions about the personal and social aspects of college life, and encourages dialogue between students and faculty.
As a trustee of the Ben Bryer Foundation, Bess Hurand of Flint and her husband, Arthur, fulfilled her late brother’s wishes through a $500,000 gift to UM-Flint creating the Dr. Ben F. Bryer Foundation Medical Research Fund. The Fund supports medical and biomedical projects that advance knowledge of disease prevention and control, with priority given to cancer research. A further gift of $60,000 from the Foundation has created the Ben F. Bryer Endowed Scholarship Fund for the benefit of Flint students pursuing their nursing degrees. The Hurands made both gifts in honor of Dr. Bryer, an accomplished surgeon, scientist, educator, author, and humanist.
Stephen M. Ross (BBA ’62) of New York, co-chair of The Michigan Difference campaign, has given $5 million for the expansion of Michigan Stadium. The expansion will modernize the 80-year-old structure by adding 83 suites, 3,200 club seats, and new entry and exit points.
A $4 million gift from former U-M Regent David Brandon (ABED ’74, CERTT EDUC ’74) and his wife, Jan, of Ann Arbor—co-chairs of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital campaign—will support an exceptionally varied range of campus initiatives. The Brandons’ gift includes $2 million to construct the new Mott Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit; $500,000 to create a Brandon Professional Resource Center and Archive at the School of Education; $250,000 toward construction of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business; another $250,000 to establish the David and Jan Brandon Prostate Cancer Survivor Fund in support of the Department of Urology’s Prostate Cancer Survivorship Clinic; $750,000 to the Department of Athletics, of which $500,000 will support facilities and operations, and $250,000 will endow the David and Jan Brandon Scholarship Fund for student athletes; and $250,000 for the expansion and restoration of the University of Michigan Museum of Art.
Fred (AB ’58) and Judy Wilpon (AB ’58) of New York have given $12 million on behalf of the Fred Wilpon Family Foundation, to be divided among three areas of the University. The Wilpons’ $5 million leadership gift to the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Division of Kinesiology will create the Sport Injury Prevention Center, where an interdisciplinary roster of experts will research the causes of sports injuries and promote their prevention. A second leadership gift of $4 million to the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will support renovation of the baseball and softball stadiums, to be renamed the Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex in honor of Fred’s parents, Frances and Nathan Wilpon. Finally, the Wilpons have given $3 million to the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) to fund the Irene and Morris B. Kessler Presidential Scholars Fund, a need-based scholarship established in memory of Judy’s parents, and in celebration of the Wilpons’ 50th U-M reunion, which they will celebrate this year. Their gift to the Fund will be matched by the President’s Donor Challenge.
David Barger of New York City, the founder, COO, and president of JetBlue Airlines, who attended U-M in the early 1980s, has given $4.5 million to endow the Barger Leadership Institute in the Organizational Studies Program at the College of LSA. The Institute will be one of the first programs in the nation to offer leadership-learning experiences to undergraduates through specially designed fellowships, internships, and research. Through the President’s Donor Challenge for faculty support, Barger’s gift will also endow a new professorship in Organizational Studies.
The Rollicking Crew, an informal group of graduates including Jim
Derleth (BBA ’80), Mike Levitt (BBA ’80, JD ’83), Jerry Kowalski, Kevin Duffy (AB ’80), Jeff Yapp (BBA ’80), John Cadarette (BBA ’80), Dave
DePoy (BGS ’80) and the late Vic Ray (BS ’81), have been making regular contributions to the Rollicking Crew Scholarship Endowment over the course of more than 25 years, including $16,000 in FY 2007 alone. The Crew’s endowment is now valued at more than $300,000, funding valuable need- and merit-based scholarships for LSA students.
Two weeks after its June 11 opening, U-M’s Cardiovascular Center (CVC)announced an extraordinary $50 million gift from an anonymous donor. The gift will support the CVC’s innovative model of care, emphasizing cooperation, excellence, and results in all areas of its clinical operations. The donor and the CVC have established a series of benchmarks on indices related to customer satisfaction, collaboration among scientists and physicians, clinical outcomes, research contributions, and excellence in education.
Judith J. Field (BBA ’61, AMLS ’63, MBA ’69) of Northville, MI, a senior lecturer in Wayne State’s Library and Information Science Program, made a $100,000 gift establishing the Judith J. Field Scholarship Fund at the School of Information—one of the largest gifts ever received by the School from an individual donor.
The Toyota USA Foundation has awarded $200,000 to the High School Beginning Algebra Academy, a joint project of UM-Dearborn’s Center for Mathematics Education and the Wayne County Regional Educational Services Agency. The Academy will use the grant to improve math understanding and instruction among high school teachers in Wayne County, where less than 25 percent of high school students complete a college-preparation sequence in math every year.
University officials joined with Waltraud (Wally) Prechter (ABED ’79) to honor the memory of her late husband, Heinz
Prechter, by naming the Heinz C. Prechter Engineering Complex at UM-Dearborn in his honor.
A $2 million gift from John S. (MBA ’80) and Dr. Annette (BS ’81) Vincent of River Forest, IL, and Burton J. Vincent, Jr. of New York City via the Marilyn H. Vincent Foundation will be divided between a $500,000 addition to the existing Burton J. Vincent Scholarship Fund for students enrolled in programs at the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, a joint enterprise of the Ross School of Business and the School of Natural Resources and Environment; and a $1.5 million gift to endow the new Marilyn H. Vincent Professorship in the Medical School.
Kenneth (AB ’64) and Frances (ABED ’64, CERTT EDUC ’64) Eisenberg of Bloomfield Hills, MI, have given $5 million, the largest ever received by the Department of History, to name and support the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies. The Institute will use the funds to attract renowned historians and scholars who will interact with U-M students, faculty, and the broader community through programs, seminars, and lectures. The gift will also be used to sponsor outreach activities for teachers of history at the pre-college level.
Twink Frey (ABED ’61, CERTT EDUC ’61, AM ’70) of Grand Rapids, MI is helping to ensure the continued vitality of the Center for the Education of Women (CEW) through an estimated $10 million bequest. Her gift is the largest contribution ever received by CEW. A portion of the bequest will be directed to the Twink Frey Social Activists Award Fund, which she and her husband, James McKay, created in 2005 to underwrite the annual CEW residency of a social change activist. The remainder of the bequest will establish the Twink Frey Research, Advocacy, and Policy Fund, supporting research on gender equity issues and the implications of policy; advocacy for disadvantaged constituencies; and teaching, training, and mentoring for new advocates.
The late Vivian A. Curtis (MSW ’48) and her husband, Dr. James L. Curtis (MD ’46), created a charitable remainder trust valued at almost $600,000 to support masters and doctoral students in the School of Social Work. The trust enhances the Curtises’ previous gifts for the same purpose, as well as their gifts of African American art to the University of Michigan Museum of Art. The School’s research center will be renamed the Vivian A. and James L. Curtis School of Social Work Research and Training Center in recognition of their generosity. The gift recognizes Mrs. Curtis’s career in social work and her affection for the School.
A $5 million leadership gift from James A. van Sweden (BARCH ’60) of Washington, DC, will be divided between the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning. It contributes to the existing endowments of the James A. van Sweden and Johanna and Anthony van Sweden Scholarship Funds, and creates James A. van Sweden professorships in both landscape architecture and architecture.