The University of Michigan's preeminent place among America's great institutions of higher learning is in no small measure the result of its superb faculty. Through their teaching and research, they contribute to our nations' and the world's well being. In recognition, their honors include Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur Fellowships, Guggenheim Fellowships and memberships in prestigious academies and learned societies. Attracting and keeping these outstanding teachers and researchers benefits our students and our programs. Often this is done through the means of endowed chairs or other endowed professorships which provide support for faculty.
Donors can have a significant impact on a school or program by making a gift to support faculty.
In 1898 Dr. Elizabeth Bates, a physician from Port Chester, New York, gave the first gift to Michigan designated specifically to endow a named chair. Although she was not an alumna, and had never even visited the campus, Dr. Bates was impressed by the fact that the Michigan Medical School was one of the few in the nation at the turn of the century to admit women. The minimum amounts required to establish endowed faculty chairs are presented below. Those appointed to the position of dean are charged with maintaining and enhancing the quality of the school or college they head. They are the leaders responsible for creating a vision for the school or college and for developing programs to implement and embody that vision.