Each year thousands of alumni and friends support the College of Education by contributing their time, talents, and money in a variety of ways to support our students, our faculty, and our programs.   Indeed, private philanthropy represents an enormous resource that has enabled the college's outstanding faculty and student body to excel at teaching, learning and research. The opportunities for support are many and include support for discretionary funds that are college-wide and program /research specific as well as support for faculty and students. All gifts to the College of Education count toward membership in MSU Donor Societies and annual gifts of $1,500 or more designated to the college include membership in the College of Education Leadership Circle. Some of the opportunities for making gifts to the College of Education are outlined below and include links to a secure server allowing you to make a gift online using a credit card. If you would prefer to make a gift another way or wish to speak with a development officer about opportunities for support, please contact us directly.      

Discretionary Funds
Thousands of alumni and friends of the college choose to support the college-wide discretionary fund each year. Discretionary funds help sustain academic programs, faculty development, the college's information technology infrastructure and other current needs. The purpose of these discretionary funds is to help bridge the gap between appropriated funds and what is needed in order to provide the very best educational experience. They also help support "extra dimension" programs and special projects for students and faculty that otherwise could not be offered.

Many donors to the college designate their gifts to support our students in the form of scholarships and fellowships and other types of student support. Donors may choose to financially support students by establishing an endowed fund which allows the donor the opportunity to name the fund and to specifically identify the types of students they wish to support. Donors may also provide student support by contributing to an existing endowed fund or simply through a gift to the Dean's Excellence Fund which provides financial support for College of Education students.

Student Support

Undergraduate Support
Unlike most teacher preparation programs, the undergraduate teacher certification program at the MSU College of Education is a five-year course of study, which includes a year-long post-baccalaureate internship in a classroom under the guidance of a mentor teacher. While this program is renowned for producing teachers who are exceptionally well-prepared and talented, it can cause significant financial hardships for our students. Therefore, our students have an even greater need for scholarship assistance with their academic expenses.

Graduate Support
Graduate students are an integral part of the College of Education community. As they pursue their degrees, they contribute to scholarly activities and conduct vital research in their respective fields. These activities benefit both the students, by expanding their knowledge base and giving them tools for their careers, and the profession, by enhancing scholarship and academic accomplishment in various subject areas.   However, the competition for recruiting graduate students is fierce. Although our programs are top-ranked nationally, reputation and achievement alone are not always enough to attract the best and brightest graduate students. Unfortunately, there are times when we lose exceptional students to other institutions that can offer greater financial support. Therefore, the continued success of the graduate programs at the MSU College of Education depends on making available more financial support for recruitment and retention of outstanding students. As a result, your gifts to support graduate fellowships and scholarships can have a direct and profound impact on the success of our college.

Faculty Support

The true strength of the MSU College of Education's academic programs is the faculty whose teaching and research give life to the programs. The intense yet caring preparation of future teachers, the groundbreaking research and commitment to scholarship, and the dedication to outreach, are hallmarks of our esteemed faculty, and each quality is essential to the outstanding education our students receive.

Because of the degree to which our faculty is vital to the success of our students and our programs, the College of Education faces stiff competition from peer institutions in recruiting and retaining the very best faculty members. While the opportunities for teaching, research, and scholarship are plentiful, the college trails its peers in the Big Ten and elsewhere in the availability of external recognition and internal funding sources for star faculty. Named endowed funds in support of faculty, such as endowed chairs or endowed fellow or scholar positions, and endowed research funds are a top priority for the college in The Campaign for MSU.

Donors interested in supporting College of Education faculty may do so by establishing an endowed fund in support of faculty or by giving to an existing endowed fund established to provide financial support for faculty.  

Departmental Support

Graduates and others associated with specific programs often wish to directly support a department in the college. Just as with college-wide discretionary funds, program discretionary funds help sustain academic programs, faculty development, research, and other current needs, specific to a department.

College of Education Departmental Discretionary Funds
Department Funds

• Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education
• Department of Educational Administration
• Department of Kinesiology
• Department of Teacher Education

Development Office
College of Education
518 Erickson Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1034
517.432.1983