Here is a sampling of some of the gifts that are helping to transform the University of Michigan.
Robotics: A gift from the Ford Motor Co. to the College of Engineering will allow Ford to establish an on-campus research laboratory on one floor of the new building now under construction. The four-story, 140,000-square-foot robotics facility on North Campus will be known as the Ford Motor Co. Robotics Building. When the building opens, U-M will become one of an elite few universities with a dedicated robotics facility.
Creative writing: Chicago philanthropist Helen Zell made a donation to LSA to permanently fund the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program. The program has earned recognition as one of the top writing programs in the country.
Art and design: Donors Penny and E. Roe Stamps have helped to transform the school now known as the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design. Their support addressed an urgent need for universities to be affordable while fostering creativity and global citizenship in college students.
Pediatric brain cancer: Multiple donors worked together to establish the Chad Carr Pediatric Brain Tumor Center at the U-M Health System. An incurable brain tumor took the life of Chad Carr, grandson of former U-M football coach Lloyd Carr, in 2015. The gifts assure the youngster’s name will be synonymous with research to fight the lethal pediatric brain cancer.
Architecture and urban planning: Real estate developer A. Alfred Taubman helped to fund a sweeping renovation project designed to provide state-of-the-art facilities for the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, one of the nation’s leading programs on the built environment. Taubman died in 2015 at age 91.
Athletics and business: Stephen M. Ross made significant donations to athletics and to the Stephen M. Ross School of Business designed to create contemporary spaces for the nearly 6,000 students who take courses at the Ross School and the 900-plus student athletes in all sports.
Cancer research and care: Richard and Susan Rogel are on a mission to boost innovative cancer research and develop the next generation of cancer pioneers with a commitment to the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. The transformational gift will enable Michigan Medicine to draw on its collaborative research culture to drive cancer care forward. The center was renamed the Rogel Cancer Center in honor of the Rogels’ many years of giving and service.
