STATE UNIVERSITIES
Wayne State dedicates Tierney Alumni House in honor of gift
After receiving a $2 million gift from Thomas T. and Elizabeth Carr Tierney, Wayne State University will dedicate the historic Hecker House as the new Tierney Alumni House. The house is a Detroit landmark and was purchased by Wayne State in 2014. The gift will create a $1 million endowment to ensure the house is preserved, and the additional $1 million will support future programming.
MSU receives $2M gift for holocaust studies
Michigan State University recently created the William and Audrey Farber Family Chair in Holocaust Studies and European Jewish History, funded by a $1.5 million gift from the Farbers. The chair will be one of few Holocaust studies chairs in the, one of four in the Big Ten, and the first and only in the state of Michigan. An additional $500,000 was donated by Michael and Elaine Serling.
PEER INSTITUTIONS
University of Minnesota begins $92.5M renovation
The University of Minnesota has begun a $92.5 million renovation project on the historic Tate Science and Teaching building. Originally constructed in 1926, the newly renovated Tate will boast innovative instruction, research, and support services spaces, as well as the new Van Vleck auditorium. The renovation will be completed in fall 2017.
UNL leads $13.5 biofuel project
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will lead a $13.5 million research effort to improve sorghum as a sustainable source for biofuel production. The project, funded by a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, will be a multi-institutional research effort led by UNL. The team will focus on sorghum as a contender to replace corn in creating biofuels.
IU launches $2.5B campaign, receives $20M gift
Indiana University launched its first universitywide philanthropic campaign. The For All: The Indiana University Bicentennial Campaign has set a goal of raising of $2.5 billion by 2020. To date, the campaign has raised nearly $1.2 billion thanks to almost 204,000 donors, including David H. Jacobs, who announced a $20 million gift to the Jacobs School of Music.
