Class of 2007 pledges $8,500 - largest class gift in School history

In the fourth year of SNRE's class gift program, the Class of 2007 raised over $8,500 in cash and pledges from its graduating class, for the new Student Government Support Fund. This overwhelming show of generosity and support exceeded the campaign goal, as well as the amounts raised by any previous class. The School of Natural Resources and Environment thanks all the contributors from the Class of 2007, and greatly appreciates their support and commitment to the School!

The Student Government Support Fund SNRE 2007 was established as an endowment fund to promote the professional development of our graduate students. With this fund, students hope to create opportunities to develop professional connections and mentorships with employers in the environmental field. Such opportunities might include: trips to conferences, job shadowing, and on-campus networking events.

Special thanks to our Class of 2007 Representatives, Kerry Duggan and Sarah Hines, for all their ongoing efforts with this important campaign. (insert photos)

Visiting Committee member and alumnus Peter Mertz matches the Class of 2007 pledge to the Student Government Support Fund

Peter Mertz (BS '74 and MBA '81) learned of the Class of 2007 pledge during the first Visiting Committee meeting in July. Impressed by the commitment shown by last year's graduating class, Peter decided to match the entire class pledge of $8,500. His gift will help the current student government get started on devising professional development opportunities and activities for our students.

Peter's experience with philanthropy began early in his career, actually immediately after his 1974 graduation. Grateful for the $125 scholarship he received as a SNRE undergraduate and cognizant of the need to help other deserving SNRE students, Peter and his friend, Bruce Brown, decided to establish the Mertz-Brown Scholarship, which originally awarded $150 per year to one student. Over the years, the Mertz-Brown Scholarship evolved into the Peter C. Mertz Scholarship, with an annual award now of $1,500.

Peter continues to contribute annually to the Mertz Scholarship, as well as the Annual Fund, ensuring his generosity will have lasting, meaningful impact to the lives of SNRE students. Peter also gives his time and expertise to the School, serving on both the SNRE Visiting Committee and the Erb Institute Advisory Board, and he was the School's Homecoming Speaker in 2005. Today, Peter is CEO of Global Forest Partners, one of the oldest and largest timber investment managers in the world. (insert photo)

James van Sweden bequest encourages architectural and landscape design collaboration

From the Nichols Arboretum to the shady lawns of the Diag, much of the University's natural beauty is actually the work of human hands. A leadership bequest from James A. van Sweden (BARCH '60) of Washington, D.C., which was estimated at $5 million at the time of commitment, will encourage architectural design that places a similar emphasis on the integration of the natural and built environments.

"I was grateful to Michigan for providing the foundation for the way I think and create, and I wanted to return that gift," said van Sweden, whose landscape architecture firm, Oehme van Sweden is acclaimed for its designs inspired by the American frontier.

His planned gift will add to endowed scholarship funds in his name and in the name of his parents, Johanna and Anthony van Sweden at the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning (TCAUP) and the School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE), respectively. The bequest will also create two professorships in his name in Architecture and Landscape Architecture at TCAUP and SNRE. The professorships will bridge these often separate disciplines and encourage professional collaboration.

An active member of the Director's Cabinet for Nichols Arboretum, James van Sweden has been a guiding force behind the University Hospital's new courtyard healing garden-the first step toward a long-term goal of connecting the Arboretum and UM Medical Center. (insert photo)
Story appears courtesy of Leaders & Best