How will you support UM-Flint during Giving Blueday?

Giving Blueday is an annual day of giving that will take place across the University of Michigan campuses on March 16. Many units at UM-Flint participate in this initiative and have a wide variety of funds that impact our campus in countless positive ways. Read more to learn about some of the funds that have made a difference for our students and community. Visit the Giving Blue Day website to see more funds that you might be passionate about.

The School of Nursing

The School of Nursing has a variety of funds with the focus of supporting their students, learning opportunities, and facilities. The International Nursing Gifts Fund supports student participation in School of Nursing-led study abroad and service-learning trips. In the past, SON has conducted trips to multiple countries, including Kenya and the Dominican Republic. These trips immerse nursing students in different cultures while providing medical services to the local population. By getting outside of the classroom and working directly with different cultures and geographical areas, students gain cultural competency and better understand how to serve all members of our society.

Colleen Knecht Sabatine and Sarah White are two SON Graduates that participated in a trip to Kenya. Both Colleen and Sarah were significantly impacted by this trip and credit it as a major influence on their nursing careers and how they approach patient care today. In a paper written after their experience, they said, "Experiences in Kenya helped us realize, so early in our nursing career, the privilege to live in a resource-rich society. In realizing this, we come to know that much of our common practice in America can be incredibly wasteful. Even after years, we can reflect on this privilege. Lessons learned about resource allocation while studying abroad in Kenya have helped us provide care with a respect for resource stewardship. Though resources in Kenya may be quite scarce, resourcefulness thrived, and that spirit has stuck with us through the years."

If you are passionate about our nursing students' cultural competencies and ability to provide medical care in areas of need, a donation to the International Nursing Gifts Fund is a great way to make an impact.

The School of Management

Innovation, engagement, and impact! This is what you will be supporting when you donate to the UM-Flint School of Management (SOM) Excellence Fund. As a result of this fund, students in the School of Management can partake in international travel and scholarly activities and receive critical support for tuition assistance, internships, and access to database materials. 

The Excellence Fund made a serious impact this last academic year by supporting the SOM Laptop Loaner Program. This program allowed SOM to purchase many laptops and loan them out to dozens of students who had technology needs through the pandemic. This is just one example of how this fund contributes to the continued academic success of our students. 

UM-Flint SOM alumnus, Steve Whitener '77, is also passionate about student success in the School of Management. This year on Giving Blueday, he will generously match every gift made to the SOM Excellence Fund up to $50,000. The proceeds will be used to support scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year, helping educate the Leaders & Best. If you choose to donate to the UM-Flint School of Management Excellence Fund this year, you can know that you are making double the impact!

The College of Health Sciences

The College of Health Sciences is passionate about student success both in and outside the classroom. The UM-Flint College of Health Sciences Opportunity Fund focuses on supporting student needs through curriculum development, technology upgrades, community impact initiatives, or other urgent needs outside of the classroom.

Due to the pandemic, CHS found that their students required much more personal support than in years past. Several CHS students experienced pandemic-related difficulties such as employment lapses, job loss, and other difficult financial situations. CHS believes no student should have to worry about how they will pay for rent or groceries on top of paying for their education and keeping up with classes. CHS is grateful that through the fund, they could take some stress away from their students.

Additionally, as we have learned in this last year, another unfortunate side effect of the pandemic was a rise in instances of domestic violence. Through this fund, multiple students worked with CHS to receive financial support to assist them in moving out of dangerous living situations.

Being able to impact and support the lives of our students in these ways would not be possible without your contributions. We hope you consider donating to the UM-Flint College of Health Sciences Opportunity Fund or one of the many other funds available for the College of Health Sciences.

The College of Arts and Sciences

Every year, generous support of the CAS Opportunity Fund allows the College of Arts and Sciences to fund research projects, travel, professional development, and more for their faculty, staff, and students. One of the twenty individual recipients in 2021, which included fifteen students and five faculty members, was Taylor Schell Martinez. Taylor is a graduate student working toward an MS in Computer Science and Information Systems who plans to graduate at the end of this semester. Taylor described in her own words how the CAS Opportunity fund positively impacted her research project:

"The CAS Opportunity Fund gave me the ability to compensate the LGBTQIA+ individuals I interviewed for my thesis research, Designing Technology to Support LGBTQIA+ Health Information and Services Seeking," Taylor says. "I was able to interview 29 participants and do not think that would have been possible without offering compensation. The data collected from the research has provided valuable insight into several ways technology could improve health information and service accessibility for LGBTQIA+ individuals and will hopefully make a difference in the community's overall health experience. I will forever be grateful to the CAS Opportunity Fund for this generous gift and the difference it made."

This is just one example of the type of difference you can make with your contribution to the CAS Opportunity Fund.

The School of Education and Human Services

The future of our educators is of central importance to the School of Education and Human Services, as well as the university as a whole. Without educators and the ability to receive a quality education, we do not exist. The Center for Educator Preparation (CEP) works closely with PK-12 partners to enhance and support education student experiences at UM-Flint. CEP has been supported in this mission through donations to the Center For Educator Preparation Fund. The CEP utilizes a student-centered approach and brings together all of the university's services to assist and support the success of current and future educators. This last year several SEHS students received personal support through this fund. One of these students had this to say.

"The loss of several family members due to COVID-19 complications is the primary contributor to this unexpected financial burden and hardship, any financial support available to assist with my quest to obtain a doctoral degree would be extremely beneficial and supportive."

If you are passionate about education and providing support for our future educators, the Center For Educator Preparation Fund is a fantastic way to contribute.

The College of Innovation and Technology

This year is the first time the College of Innovation and Technology is participating in Giving Blueday. Contributions to the UM-Flint College of Innovation & Technology Gift Fund will support students and faculty, research projects, new and innovative programs, and priority initiatives. Though this fund is broadly focused, the work and projects we have seen from CIT this last year should serve as an example of how your donation will support some amazing efforts and truly innovative students. 

At the close of the fall semester, this innovation was on full display as students from the first CIT 100 class, Technology Foundations, met to present their final projects, as can be seen in the photo above. Students completed projects that focused on concepts like coding, circuitry, motors, sensors, and more throughout the semester. Students were then asked to diagnose a problem, use what they learned to determine a solution, and build a prototype in just six weeks for their final projects. Final projects included many fantastic concepts such as a scratch-built drone with the ability to hover and stabilize itself, a robotic chopstick glove that functioned using proximity sensors, and a self-driving robot that was able to perform obstacle detection.

Any investment you make to the UM-Flint College of Innovation & Technology Gift Fund fosters this type of ingenuity and creativity from students and faculty.

UM-Flint Student Affairs Opportunity Fund

The Division of Student Affairs leads student life at UM-Flint. With 11 units offering more than 90 student clubs and organizations, recreation and club sports, counseling, veterans and accessibility services, residential living and learning, and access and opportunity programs, it is clear that DSA is committed to student success and wellbeing.

While students are experiencing trying times, DSA strongly believes that emergencies do not derail students as they are working toward their degrees. One way that DSA offers support is through the UM-Flint Student Affairs Opportunity Fund. This last year, the fund supported programs such as the Wolverine Food Den, which helped support students facing food insecurities on campus. Before the pandemic, The Department of Social Work conducted a food security study on the Flint campus, with 58 percent of the respondents stating that they skipped or missed meals due to a lack of food availability. Additionally, 38 percent reported lacking basic food needs. Unemployment and mobility difficulties during the pandemic only exacerbated this problem, making the mission of the Wolverine Food Den even more critical.

Consider donating to the UM-Flint Student Affairs Opportunity Fund to support initiatives like this and become part of our student's continued success!

UM-Flint Center for Gender and Sexuality

The UM-Flint Center for Gender and Sexuality (CGS) provides a safe space for women, survivors of sex and gender-based violence, and the LGBTQIA2S+ community. CGS funds are used to support students with these identities and experiences who face unforeseen hardships during their academic journeys. This CGS fund allows students to receive the critical resources they need to succeed in their academic and personal lives.

In the past year, resources for the fund helped a student manage car expenses to allow them to attend in-person classes, assisted a student with housing expenses and food insecurity due to the pandemic, and minimized the cost of childcare. These basic needs are essential for students navigating work and life while maintaining their academic pursuits. 

Your gift to the UM-Flint Center for Gender and Sexuality will directly help UM-Flint students overcome challenges as they earn their degrees.