This year, 71,321 Spartans made a gift to MSU. Among them were alumni, parents, employees, community members and even students—all wanting to show their love for their fellow Spartans.
Their voices are as varied as the programs and causes their gifts support.
I believe in our mission to support diverse scholars and work in diverse communities, and I know what a difference even small amounts of funding can make to help a great program become even better.
— Deborah Johnson, director of MSU’s Diversity Research Network, is one of 5,560 current and former faculty and staff who collectively gave nearly $8 million to support what they love at MSU.
Michigan State is a special place—a place that unlocks and nurtures a will to do good that I believe is inside us all. Many, especially out-of-state students, find the cost of attending college prohibitive. I support the D.C. Spartans’ endowed scholarships because I feel an obligation to do what I can to eliminate or limit the financial burden so more students can join Spartan Nation.
— Jeremy Blaney, board member, Washington D.C. Spartans. Collectively, MSU alumni clubs raised $384,610 last year to support club scholarships for aspiring Spartans across the nation.
In 1947, when Walter told his Yale classmates he had landed a job at MSC, they said, ‘You’ll like Ann Arbor.’ Today, that error could never be made given MSU’s great reputation not only in the academic world but in the larger world beyond. It is because of these past accomplishments and MSU’s great potential for future world contributions, and because of Walter and my personal love of the university, that I am a dedicated donor.
— Pauline Adams, former first lady of MSU, has been giving every year since her husband, the late MSU president Walter Adams, joined the economics faculty. She’s one of 411 donors who have given to MSU for 50 years or more.
I support the Lyman Briggs College Scholarship Fund to provide students a chance to gain knowledge and guidance through Lyman Briggs’ close-knit community and valuable opportunities offered through MSU.
— Zara Ahmed, MSU sophomore, Lyman Briggs College, one of 11,158 Spartans who made their very first gift to MSU this year.
We know firsthand how learning differences affect the way people acquire new knowledge and engage opportunities in education. We also are aware that with essential support, students who experience such challenges can, and do, reach educational success and ultimately community leadership.
— The Runge family established the Runge Family Endowment in MSU’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to empower students aspiring to grow into community leaders.