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Michigan State University
Michigan State University

College of Social Sciences

Department of Human Development and Family Studies
Department of Human Development and Family Studies > Alumni >

Giving

Giving

Generous donations to the Department over many years have been crucial to our ongoing success. Gifts to the Department can easily be made online. At the University Development Donations and Gifts website enter the Department name or specific fund name in the search box (you can find the names below). The complete title will appear, double-click on it to designate your gift to that College, Department, or fund.

Below are several ways that you can support our department. If you would like to explore creating your own fund or to identify other giving opportunities that better suit your goals, please contact Alex Tripp, Senior Director of Development, or Dr. Andrea Wittenborn, department chair. 

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Funds and Scholarships

The purpose of the HDFS Department Fund is to support discretionary funding needs and opportunities. Here, gifts can be made unrestricted to the Department.

The purpose of the Marjorie Kostelnik Endowment is to support student learning and professional development outside the formal classroom. The fund underscores the importance of students having the experience of meeting professionals, exchanging information, and presenting at professional conferences. Dr. Kostelnik served MSU as a beloved teacher from 1970 to 2000. She taught students every year of her career, including during her tenure as Director of the Child Development Laboratory and Chair of the Department of Family and Child Ecology. Currently, Marjorie is Dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska.

The purpose of the Tom Luster Scholarship is support HDFS graduate students who are studying diversity or low income communities. Dr. Luster was a beloved faculty member at MSU until his death in March 2009, with a passion for the most vulnerable citizens and diverse groups including adolescent mothers, Japanese youth, and especially Sudanese refugee youth known as the "Lost Boys" of Sudan. Dr. Luster was known for his intelligence, quiet leadership, modesty, passion for teaching, generous mentoring, and excellent scholarship.

The purpose of the Kristine Ann Scholarship is to assist HDFS students preparing for professional roles in family and child ecology. Students who demonstrate above average academic achievement are particularly eligible for this scholarship. This award is intended to encourage students to achieve their academic and professional goals.

The purpose of the Helen Takken Brink Endowment Fund is to provide assistance to HDFS undergraduate/graduate students who demonstrated a capacity to achieve their academic goals. William (and Carol) Brink and Marilyn (and Nickolas) Bridges established this endowment in honor of their mother (Helen Takken Brink) who graduated from the College of Human Ecology.

The purpose of the Agnes Hunt and Claude Marshall Cade Endowed Scholarship is to help students in both engineering and family studies. Students who demonstrate exceptional ability to achieve academic and professional goals are eligible for this scholarship.  Agnes and Claude were both former faculty members at MSU, Agnes in the department of Home Economics, and Claude in the Engineering Department.

The purpose of the Arizona Bonanza Belle Wimple Calkins Fund is to recognize HDFS students in programs that pertain to the original study of home economics. The fund is named after the mother of Mary Lou Van (Paul) Keuren, a former faculty member in the College of Human Ecology. This fund was established to honor the memory of Arizona, who was a pioneer in the study of Human Ecology (originally Domestic Science).

The purpose of the MSU Child Development Laboratories Fund is to support areas of opportunity within the CDL including providing funding and provides tuition assistance to economically disadvantaged families who wish to attend the CDL. The fund was established to honor the legacy of Child Development pioneer Betty Garlick and will support the MSU Child Development Laboratories in the form of the Betty Garlick Teacher Excellence Award.

The purpose of the Verna Lee and John R. Hildebrand Dissertation Fellowship is to support HDFS doctoral students’ whose dissertation is focused on social justice issues (e.g. status of women and minorities, pay equity, family planning). John R. Hildebrand taught in the social science department while Verna Lee Hildebrand taught in the Human Ecology department. Verna Lee Hildebrand was the recipient of the distinguished faculty award in 1986. 
The purposes of the Human Ecology Legacy Fund provides are 1) to support undergraduate students in the completion of research projects; 2) to recognize a HDFS undergraduate/graduate student who has demonstrated leadership in areas that provide a direct impact on the community through programs and research related traditional home economics (e.g., family, parenting, nutrition); and 3) to support strategic areas of opportunity in the HDFS Department.  Dr. Margaret (Peg) Bubolz demonstrated leadership in writing and scholarly work while Dr. Linda Nelson is an exemplary leader in teaching and qualitative methodology. Both Dr. Bubolz and Dr. Nelson served as department chairs and mentored many scholars in this area.
The purpose of the Knorr/Mentzer/Byers Scholarship is to support HDFS undergraduate/graduate students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement and potential to accomplish their academic and professional goals. The fund was established by three former faculty members of the College of Human Ecology: Amy Knorr, James Mentzer, and Trish Byers.
The purpose of the Jacobs Family Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to students majoring in Human Development and Family Studies for the semester of their internships, so they may refine and enhance their skills to improve the lives of the people they will serve.  Preference for the scholarship shall be awarded to a high-achieving, non-traditional junior or senior pursuing an undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies, who is planning an internship in a non-profit program or organization with preference to those who plan to work with the elderly in a human service field.  This endowment fund was established by Dr. Lee (Professor Emeritus) and Mrs. Joy Jacobs (HDFS Academic Specialist Emerita) in honor of Dr. Jacobs mother who was a Home Economics teacher.
The purpose of the Jeanette Lee Scholarship is to support HDFS undergraduate/graduate students whose research interests and career goals are the betterment of children and families, with preference given to returning students and those in financial need. Jeanette Lee taught at MSU for nearly forty years. Her involvement in the College of Home Economics led to the name change to the College of Human Ecology to better reflect the mission of the college.
The purpose of the Robert E. Lee and Patricia A. Ball Scholarship is to support an HDFS-CFT doctoral student. This scholarship is used to assist students of underrepresented groups who demonstrate strong academic and clinical achievement. Financial need may also be considered in the distribution of these scholarship funds.
The purpose of the Mary Lewis Endowment is to support research that will benefit the positive development of children. Mary Lewis received the distinguished faculty award in 1961 in what was then the College of Home Economics. She was dedicated to research programs that had significant potential for ‘real world’ application. 
The purpose of the Evelyn Mansfield Fund is to support undergraduate/graduate students with financial need and who demonstrated the capacity to achieve their academic goals. Evelyn Mansfield taught at MSU for 22 years. She had a strong desire to help and encourage students to better their lives by furthering their education.
The purpose of the Jean Robinson Page Memorial Fund is to support HDFS students who are attending a professional meeting or conference in which FCE/HDFS is the main topic of study and discussion.
The purpose of the Beatrice Paolucci Memorial Scholarship is to support HDFS graduate students in financial need. Bea received the distinguished faculty award in 1968, and also received the great honor of having a campus building named after her and now a sculpture outside of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum.
The purpose of the Eugene O. Peisner Scholarship is to support HDFS graduate students who have demonstrated academic achievement and are in financial need. This award is intended to encourage students to achieve their academic and professional goals.
The purpose of the Jean Davis Schlater Dissertation Fellowship is to support HDFS doctoral students whose dissertation topics focus on human values, family decision making, family resource management, or quality of life.
The purpose of the Alice Cutler Thorpe Scholarship is to support graduate students who demonstrate exceptional scholarship ability. This scholarship award is primarily for use in promoting research and education in a family oriented field of study.
The purpose of the Monica Herflicker Waltz Scholarship is to support HDFS undergraduate students and is intended to encourage students to achieve their academic and professional goals.
The purpose of the Monica and Jonathan Wylie Scholarship is to support incoming HDFS students who have demonstrated academic achievement and have competed for the MSU alumni Distinguished Scholarship.

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