Stamps' support changes students' lives

"One obvious advantage of being a Stamps Scholar is the financial help. I'm an out-of-state student, so my tuition is very high and there is only so much my parents and I could cover without taking out a huge amount of loan money, or filling up all of my free time working. Another great thing about it has been in meeting interesting new people and having a group to be part of right away when I arrived at Michigan."

Patricia Radecka
LSA '11
Stamps Scholar

For campaign Co-Chair Penny (BSDES '66, CERTT EDUC '66) and E. Roe Stamps support for Michigan takes many forms.

Through a $4.4 million Campaign gift, the Miami couple last year launched a prestigious, seven-year, campus-wide scholarship program and provided support for the 460-seat auditorium next to the Charles R. Walgreen Jr. Drama Center on North Campus. The facility has been named the Stamps Auditorium in honor of their remarkable dedication to Michigan, which is reflected in their $9.4 million overall Campaign giving.

The Stamps Scholars Program provides $10,000 annual merit scholarships to outstanding undergraduates for up to four years in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; the College of Engineering; the School of Art & Design; the School of Music, Theatre & Dance; the Division of Kinesiology; and the School of Nursing. The University, including the affected schools and colleges, provides additional financial aid to the recipients, with the goal of matching the individual awards. Already, there are 35 Stamps Scholars on campus.

"A gift to scholarship is a gift to the entire University community," said Penny Stamps."We are delighted to be partners in this endeavor."

The program also funds the Stamps Scholars Society to connect students through community service projects, career opportunities, international studies, social events, and an annual dinner.     

“We are thrilled that we can help Michigan provide this incredible educational opportunity to these outstanding young students," Roe Stamps said.

The Stamps' record of philanthropy at Michigan includes the creation of Work, a South State Street gallery to exhibit Art & Design students' creations. They have also provided Art & Design with the Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitors Series that brings acclaimed artists to campus to speak and interact with students; the Stamps Family Scholarship Program; and the Roman J. Witt Visiting Professorship, named for Penny Stamps' father. The School recently named its undergraduate Stamps Studios in recognition of their support. They are also valued Michigan Athletics benefactors, providing funding for the Stamps Student Commons in the newly completed Stephen M. Ross Academic Center.

An interior designer and antique collector, Penny Stamps is an Art & Design graduate. She serves on the U-M President's Advisory Group and is chair of the Dean's Advisory Council at the School. Roe Stamps, a distinguished alumnus of Georgia Tech University and Harvard Business School, is the founder and managing partner of Summit Partners, a venture capital firm headquartered in Boston.

-- Excerpted from Leaders & Best, Spring 2006