Beyond the impressive list of generous donations and newly constructed buildings physically transforming North Campus is the thought-provoking goal of elevating the role and public discussion of the intrinsic value of the arts.
The dedication of the Stamps Auditorium on March 27 offers a symbol of that new direction — as well as bold display of the broad, multi-disciplinary support for that goal. The venue provides a state-of-the-art stage for the performance and ongoing discussion of the visual and performing arts at one of the world’s leading educational and research institutions.
For the public dedication ceremony at the 450-seat multi-purpose facility adjacent to the Walgreen Drama Center, Penny and Roe Stamps — whose gifts continue to support a range of scholarly, student and creative work — will join President Mary Sue Coleman.
A gathering of deans, dignitaries and students also will celebrate what Coleman calls “the emergence of North Campus as a destination, a nexus of cutting-edge collaboration.” The Ann Arbor campus is home to the School of Art & Design (SOAD), School of Music, Theatre & Dance, College of Engineering (CoE), Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, and School of Information.
The auditorium was named for Penny and Roe Stamps to recognize their significant generosity to the School of Art & Design and other units of the University. A $4.4-million gift from the Stamps announced in May 2006 includes $1.4 million endowment funds to cover ongoing maintenance of the auditorium. The balance of the donation provides merit scholarships to high-achieving undergraduates in six schools: SOAD; the School of Music, Theatre & Dance; LSA; the School of Nursing; CoE; and the Department of Kinesiology.
To-date, the Stamps have given $9.4 million to The Michigan Difference, the University’s fundraising campaign. Their gifts have supported the Stamps Distinguished Visitors Program, Witt Visiting Professors Program and WORK gallery space on State Street in downtown Ann Arbor.
Penny Stamps, a 1966 graduate of the School of Art & Design, is co-chair of The Michigan Difference. Roe Stamps is founder and managing partner of Summit Partners, a venture capital firm based in Boston, Mass.
“The Stamps are visionaries and their generosity allows us to place a higher emphasis on the vital connection among the arts, education and building a deeper, more meaningful culture,” Coleman says.
The North Campus deans launched Arts on Earth, a campuswide initiative, in 2007. The initiative also sponsored WorkPlay, a campuswide competition that has awarded $20,000 in prizes for concepts to transform physically North Campus into a destination location. Winning entrants will be announced at the dedication.
“Our hope is to create more of a community, where people work, study and play closer together,” says David Munson, dean of CoE. “In the future, we’d like the core parts of North Campus to have more of an urban feel, while we preserve the natural elements and woods.”
Collectively, the new buildings and initiatives on North Campus underscore the momentum pushing the University into the vanguard of world-class educational institutions.
“We are profoundly grateful to Penny and Roe Stamps, for their generosity and their support of our goal to transform North Campus and the University to meet the 21st-century educational challenges,” says Bryan Rogers, dean of SOAD.
“Developing students’ creative talents — and creative thinking skills — is vital to preparing them for the emerging global culture,” he says. “Few educational institutions in the world conduct leading-edge scientific and medical research, and provide a nurturing environment for creative work.”
