MSU Faculty and Staff Lead the Way in Generosity
From small online gifts to major endowments, Michigan State University’s community continues to set the standard for philanthropy, demonstrating a deep commitment to the university’s future.
MSU Faculty and Staff Lead the Way in Generosity
From small online gifts to major endowments, Michigan State University’s community continues to set the standard for philanthropy, demonstrating a deep commitment to the university’s future.
March 14, 2025Last week, MSU launched Uncommon Will, Far Better World: the most ambitious comprehensive fundraising campaign in its 170-year history.
The goal? To raise $4 billion to support students, research, projects, and initiatives that will change the face of MSU’s campus and expand its impact on the lives of all the people it serves.
“This campaign will propel Michigan State University to greater heights,” says Vice President for University Advancement Kim Tobin. “More, it will enable Spartans to do what they do best: leveraging their uncommon will to achieve impact for the common good—ultimately creating a far better world for us all.”
Team MSU is ready for this
Among all the well-celebrated accolades MSU has received for affordability, research output, and top-ranked programs, there is another lesser-known accolade worth celebrating: the faculty and staff are incredibly generous.
Michigan State currently ranks fourth among all AAU universities that report on their faculty and staff giving annually.
But rankings are not necessary to see that their philanthropic impact is as ubiquitous as the impact they make when they come to the office, the lab, or—for people like MSU employee and longtime donor Tom Izzo—maybe even the sidelines, every day.
This generosity is evident in the total giving from MSU faculty and staff, which has historically been around 7% of total gifts.
It was also evident last Tuesday, on a record-breaking Give Green Day, which raised $2.09 million, primarily through small, online gifts. More than 1,300 of those gifts—ranging from $5 to $10,000 and totaling more than $185,000—came from faculty and staff, taking a quick break from their workdays to give back to the causes they care about.
Even more poignant than the fact that faculty and staff give is the reasoning behind their generosity.
For some, it is an expression of deep passion for the work they do and the people they are surrounded by. For others, it is about maintaining a connection to the place where they built their careers, families, and friendships.
Like Department of English faculty emerita Jyotsna Singh, who marked her retirement in 2024 by creating the Jyotsna G. Singh Endowment in Early Modern Studies: Race, Empire, and Global Connections.
The endowment will support the MSU Libraries’ collection of early modern texts—works that were so important to her 25-year career here. The gift will also provide funding for annual events and projects that spotlight the material, and, she hopes, engage the next generation of scholars in the field she loves.
“Giving and shaping this endowment has been an enriching journey for me,” Singh says. “I hope the events and activities will open up new and exciting journeys for students, researchers and the larger community.”
For others, still, it is about leading by example—showing the world at large that if MSU’s own believe in MSU, everyone can believe in MSU.
So many ways to make an impact
Being insiders certainly gives faculty, staff and retirees a leg-up on knowing where their gifts could make the biggest impact. It also helps them better understand how to give — and there are so many ways. Online giving is quick and easy. Giving through payroll deduction makes regular contributions feel effortless.
Many have also found that utilizing estate plans is a generous and creative way to give back. In fact, of the 1,644 households that are part of MSU’s Landon Society, the giving society that honors those who have documented future estate gifts, 204 (or about 12% of the total) are current or former MSU faculty or staff members.
As the Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign gains momentum — having already raised more than $1 billion — MSU faculty, staff and retirees’ roles as leaders and advocates who encourage others to invest cannot be understated.
And considering the support of MSU faculty and staff for this campaign, the encouragement is proving contagious.
