It was great to see everyone earlier this fall at the Bryant Colloquium. I was overwhelmed by the generous spirit of the individuals who returned to Ann Arbor to gather in honor of Bunyan, and I was honored to be part of such an incredible event.

Knowing that everyone who attended the event appreciates the transformative difference that Bunyan has made in the field of Environmental Justice, I write to invite you to honor Bunyan by joining with donors in what Maria Tucker referred to as a "giving circle." The idea is that individually our financial support may have limited reach, but if we pool our resources, we may be able to do something special to celebrate Bunyan's legacy in a more permanent fashion.

Specifically, I am hoping to raise enough financial support to match Bunyan and Jean's $100,000 gift in establishing the Bunyan Bryant Environmental Justice Scholarship at SNRE. The dollars we raise would be used to support student and faculty work in the area of environmental justice.

I am encouraging multi-year pledges as a way to reach our challenging goal. If 40 people, for example, commit to giving $25 a month for the next five years, the giving circle would raise $60,000.

In addition to reaching out to everyone who attended the colloquium, we plan, over the course of the next 12 months, to send this request to the broader EJ community.

Please join our giving circle by making a pledge or gift today. Or, for more information about giving options, please contact Heather Leszczynski (hnlutz@umich.edu).

Bunyan officially retires from the University of Michigan at the end of this month. I would love to further honor him with news of our giving circle. Thank you for your continued commitment to environmental justice.

Sincerely,

Marie Lynn Miranda, Ph.D.

Professor and Dean, School of Natural Resources and Environment