Campaign donors support student goals

UM-Dearborn’s Look to Michigan fundraising campaign publicly launched in May with nearly one-half of the $60 million goal raised. To celebrate, there was a “Soiree in the City” kickoff event where the Michigan Marching Band added to the crowd’s excitement by playing “Hail to the Victors.”

Even with that big, bold start, the university’s collective focus shifted momentarily with leadership changes at U-M only days later. Chancellor Domenico Grasso’s departure for the interim presidency in Ann Arbor made national news. But, locally, the Institutional Advancement team continued their steadfast victors’ march toward UM-Dearborn’s goals through the Look to Michigan campaign — the university’s most ambitious fundraising campaign to date. “The $60-million number is 20% higher than the university’s last campaign goal and I’m proud of how the university is coming together to champion it,” says Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Casandra Ulbrich.

The past few months have been busy in the IA office and Ulbrich has some big news from her team to share. First, the university has met 50.3% of the campaign goal. And, second, students are already benefiting from donors’ generosity. “So far, thanks to donations, we have awarded almost $2 million through private scholarships,” says Ulbrich, noting that the scholarships went to 781 students. “Half our student population is Pell-eligible and they are looking to build a better future for themselves and their families.”

Other highlights: 676 incoming students were awarded the Go Blue Guarantee through campaign dollars, totaling $4.3 million in GBG tuition support. And 550-plus new university donors have given to the campaign since fiscal year 2024.

Ulbrich says, to date, nearly 5,000 unique donors have contributed to the campaign with gifts of every size. “Every gift is meaningful. A lot of times folks will think if they can’t give a large amount of money that it won’t make a difference. We want them to know that it makes a world of difference to our students,” she says.

Donations also can be given at intervals — like monthly or yearly — to help make giving more affordable. As part of the campaign, Ulbrich made a five-year pledge toward UM-Dearborn’s Go Blue Guarantee Endowment Fund. Examples of other campaign gifts include Magna’s International’s sponsorship of Summer Undergraduate Research Experience projects, Henry Maier — a 1986 CASL alum — and Diane Maier’s establishment of an endowed scholarship, and Director of Annual Giving and Advancement Services Eva Gogola’s monthly donations toward existing scholarships.

Gogola donates toward scholarships through the campaign, in particular to the Teague Orblych Endowed Scholarship and the Susan Cushnier Memorial Endowment Scholarship Fund, because they honor the legacy of her former colleagues.

“Times are tough, especially for our students who are out here just trying to make it on their own, often while working and taking care of kids or parents. I like that I have a little part in helping someone reach their goals,” says Gogola, a 2004 CASL alum. “Some of us aren’t in situations to give as much as we’d like to. I get that. That’s where I’m at. So, for the campaign, I give a little bit every month.”

Gogola says there’s a new giving match option for UM-Dearborn community members looking to give in incremental ways and double their monthly gift. The Look to Michigan Matching Program will match any recurring monthly gift for twelve months. “If you’ve been thinking about giving to your favorite UM-Dearborn cause, now is a great time to do it. New recurring gifts, whether set up online or through a payroll deduction, will be matched up to $100 per month,” Gogola says. “So a $5 gift has the power of $10 and $25 has a $50 reach — well, you can do that math. What I’m saying is that it’s a really great bang for your buck.”

There are additional areas to support if you want to look beyond tuition assistance, Gogola says. Donors can support programs that help students study abroad, that bring industry leaders to campus, and that give UM-Dearborn undergraduates advanced research opportunities. Check out the UM-Dearborn giving areas — there are nearly 200 of them and they all ultimately support UM-Dearborn’s students.

“This campaign is comprehensive. Instead of raising money for something specific, like we did for the Engineering Lab Building during the last campaign, we wanted to leave the Look to Michigan campaign open and have people choose to support what they are most passionate about — like business research in iLabs, nature exploration at the Environmental Interpretive Center or food justice efforts through the Student Food Pantry,” Ulbrich says. “There is need across every facet of UM-Dearborn’s campus. All will support the goals of enhancing the student experience, fostering innovation and research, and strengthening engagement and partnerships.”

Read more about fundraising milestones in the recently published Look to Michigan Impact Report. The Look to Michigan Matching Program runs through June 30. If you are considering donating, there is no time like today — it’s Giving Tuesday!

Story by Sarah Tuxbury