Stamps: $32.5M Gift to UM Art School

The University of Michigan School of Art & Design will be renamed in honor of Penny and Roe Stamps, following a $32.5 million donation to the school from the family’s foundations. The news was announced at the Sept. 20, 2012 meeting of the UM board of regents, who voted unanimously to rename the school. A total of $40 million has been committed to the A&D school, including a $7.5 million match from UM.

The Stamps have already given millions of dollars to the university for a range of projects, including the Stamps Auditorium next to the Walgreen Drama Center on north campus, a commons area at the Ross Academic Center, the Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitors Series, the Art & Design Stamps Creative Work Scholarships, and the WORK gallery on South State Street.

The Stamps weren’t on hand for the meeting. UM president Mary Sue Coleman said the couple was celebrating the birth of their grandson this morning, but that they’ll “celebrate mightily” with the university at a later date. She and several other university administrators and regents praised the Stamps’ contributions, as well as people at the university who helped with the deal. The new dean of the A&D school, Gunalan Nadarajan – who’s been on the job two months and is also celebrating his birthday today – and former dean Bryan Rogers both addressed the board, expressing their thanks. There were several rounds of applause before the regents moved on to their regular business meeting.

This brief was filed from the Michigan Union’s Anderson Room on the Ann Arbor campus, where regents held their September meeting.