Dean’s Fundraising Priorities

The following information summarizes the fundraising priorities of the College of Arts & Sciences. If you see an item that piques your curiosity, or if you have other interests for targeted donations, please contact Jill Hunsberger, CAS Development Officer at
734-487-4344.

1. Student Financial Assistance – Financial support of deserving students and their educational endeavors lies at the heart of the College's mission. This is one of the surest ways for a donor to make a direct impact on a CAS student's experience at EMU. The College is always interested in cultivating relationships with those donors wishing to target their giving toward specific student needs. Examples of ways to support students include the creation of:
  • Endowed scholarships
  • Awards in support international study abroad
  • Awards for student research
  • Awards for student travel to, and participation in, professional conferences
  • Unrestricted gifts to be distributed by CAS as needed

2. Faculty Enhancements – Faculty represent the cornerstone for delivering the highest-quality educational experience to students. For this reason, the College is always considering ways to maximize its ability to both support and recognize faculty activity. Some ways in which support can be manifested include:

  • Endowed professorships
  • Dean’s Faculty Excellence Awards
  • Dean’s Community Partnership grants
  • Research and presentation grants
  • Unrestricted gifts to be distributed by CAS as needed

3. Signature Programs Enhancements – The College is always seeking partnerships to support some of its particularly prominent activities or programs. These programs have developed over many years to become major points of pride for CAS:

  • Undergraduate Symposium (25th anniversary, 2005)
  • All-Steinway School Initiative
  • Friends of Chamber Music at Pease (FCMP)
  • Jazz Studies Program
  • New partnerships

4. Centers of Excellence and Outreach – Centers staffed by outstanding faculty often provide a direct means by which the university can be of particular service to the surrounding community. Such Centers often provide a link from federal programs to grassroots organizations. The College of Arts & Sciences is particularly fortunate to have nationally-recognized faculty in each of the following areas, and is actively seeking to further develop these areas:

  • African American Center for Applied Research
  • Center for the Study of Women and Gender
  • Middle East Studies Center
  • Center for Wetlands Research
  • Computational Linguistics Center

5. Equipment Enhancements – In many disciplines, meaningful classroom experiences require that students are trained on equipment typical of modern workplaces. However, rapid and unending computational and technological developments have made it extraordinarily difficult for any institution of higher learning to keep pace with the equipment demands. The CAS has particular need for equipment upgrades in the following areas:

  • Science
  • Multi-Media capability
  • Theater
  • Art
  • Music - All Steinway School Initiative
  • Unrestricted gifts to be distributed in CAS as needed

6. New Facilities – Some of the College's buildings have reached the end of their life span, at least for their original intended purpose. Thus, the College is pursuing capital initiatives for the following building projects:

  • Laboratory Sciences Building
  • Liberal Arts Building
  • Fine and Performing Arts Center
  • Observatory
  • Parson's Center for the Study of Art & Science