This has been a most gratifying
year. In spite of the turmoil in
the economic sector, we have
good news to report about the generosity
of donors to the University of
Michigan. More than 111,000 donors
made gifts of cash and pledge payments
totaling $254,086,812—only
3.6 percent fewer donors and 4.4 percent
fewer dollars than last year. These are
impressive figures.
Gifts from living individuals continue to be strong, up by approximately $5 million for a total of $154 million. Corporate giving is down by only 1 percent to $16.8 million this year.
Even as state support continued to decline, necessitating a rise in tuition, the university remained committed to providing increased financial aid to students to help them earn a Michigan degree. U–M maintains its aggressive approach to meeting the full, demonstrated financial need of all in–state undergraduates. In the past year, 70 percent of in–state undergraduates and 50 percent of out–of–state undergraduates received financial aid including scholarships, grants, loans, and work–study. Our Ann Arbor campus undergraduate students have been graduating with average debt of about $26,800. Our graduate students have been graduating with debt of about $42,000 for in–state students and $49,000 for out–of–state students. The goal is to have our students leave with fewer loans.
Our donors have responded to the need
for increased financial aid, making
gifts for undergraduate and graduate
student support totaling more than
$56 million. This current support has
been augmented by the $60 million
generated this fiscal year by the donor–supported
endowed funds for scholarship
and fellowship support. Zelda M. Bartus (BA ’39, CERT EDDUC ’39) left a
$6.3 million bequest for need–based
scholarship support for students in
Civil and Environmental Engineering
and Chemical Engineering to honor
her husband, Julius (BSE CE ’36). Both
received scholarships when they were
students at the U–M, where they met.
Penny (BSDES ’66) and Roe Stamps
made a gift of $3 million to renew their
Stamps Scholars program, which had
already supported 72 students for four
years. The new commitment will support
an additional 72 students.
Even as donors provided funds to
support students, others generously
gave to advance areas throughout the
university. A number of donors made
record gifts. The Ted and Jane Von
Voigtlander Foundation made a gift of
$15 million, the largest gift ever to the
Health System for women’s health, to support construction of the new women’s
hospital. 
The gift was made by
Gwen Haggerty,
president of the foundation,
to honor the memory of her
mother, Jane, and her adoptive father,
Ted. In their honor, the new hospital was
named the Von Voigtlander Women’s
Hospital. It will open in late 2011 as
part of the building that will also house
the new C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
The Law School broke ground last fall
on its new building aided by a record
gift from Robert (JD ’54) and Ann
(BA ’02) Aikens whose contribution of
$10 million is the largest gift ever made
to the Law School by a living donor. In
recognition of their exceptional generosity,
the Law School will name the new
commons, located in the current Law
Quad, the Robert B. Aikens Commons.
Ed Elliott (DCOB BBA ’67) made a gift of $2 million to U–M Dearborn’s College of Business, the largest gift to that campus from an alum. It endows a professorship in memory of his late wife, Betty (DCOB BBA ’67) and provides discretionary funds for the dean.
Philanthropists, though, are not just those who make the largest gifts. We celebrate our alumni and friends who make gifts of all sizes to support Michigan. A new area on our website www.giving.umich.edu, called "Share Your Story," offers donors a place to tell why they give to the U–M and any other charitable organization. I urge you to go to the site, and I guarantee you will be inspired by the messages you read. They are from caring people who understand the value of helping others. I’ve included a few samples from the many stories posted there.
U–M Eye Center was there when I needed them in 1998. Dr. Elner was wonderful. I am now in remission from Graves Eye Disease, but I saw many others far worse off than I. This gift is for them.
When I graduated high school, the Regents–Alumni scholarship helped my parents in sending me to Michigan. I give what I can because others have helped me.
I have made a donation to the U–M every year since my graduation in 1970. I believe that the U–M is the greatest learning institution on earth, and will always support it.
Charitable giving fills the gaps, solves problems, answers prayers, meets needs that cannot be met in the public sphere.
I support education and health care because I feel strongly that both are critical to the well–being of people in general and society as a whole.
I have never supported U–M before. But, U–M has supported me by giving a future to my nephew, who at 3 just underwent a liver transplant and now has a bright and healthy outlook.
Philanthropy is infectious and contagious and makes me feel good.
These people and more than one hundred thousand others made the Michigan Difference.
Thank You,
Jerry A. May
Vice President for Development