UMSI 2026 Philanthropic Impact Report
UMSI 2026 PHILANTHROPIC IMPACT REPORT
A century of centering people
Thanks to your support in 2025-26, the University of Michigan School of Information drew upon our library science roots to meet a rapidly changing world — and help make it better.
Dean’s Message
This year, UMSI turns 100, marking a century of educating information leaders and helping society manage its ever-growing supply of information.
Back in 1926, when we got our start as the Department of Library Science, libraries were humanity’s most powerful invention for ensuring public access to trustworthy information and preserving cultural memory. Long before “information” became a term of art, library science set standards grounded in access, stewardship and care.
Thanks to you, these values continue to anchor everything we do. Nearly 500 donors supported UMSI’s mission this year. For 72 of you, this was your first gift. Your generosity expands access to a UMSI education, creates spaces where students can find belonging and supports information projects that benefit the public good. The tools have changed quite a bit in 100 years, but our purpose has not. I’m grateful for your partnership as we begin our next century.
THEN AND NOW
Access
Since the beginning, we have worked to promote access — whether making knowledge available beyond the walls of private institutions and collections, or making a UMSI education possible for students who face financial barriers.
in donor-funded scholarships
to pursue dream internships
Opening doors for community college students
The Community College Summer Institute, UMSI’s longest-running educational outreach program, welcomed its 10th cohort this summer. The program invites students to picture themselves at the University of Michigan, while providing tangible resources for pursuing a four-year degree. About one in four participants go on to join the Bachelor of Science in Information program, with nearly half transferring to U-M.
Supported by: The John, Karen and Casey Cameron Community College Fund and The UMSI Outreach Fund.
Betting on the next generation
Ben Sun (BA ’95) admires how UMSI is preparing leaders for a world being transformed by AI. He graduated from U-M at a similarly pivotal moment — the beginning of the dot-com boom — and went on to launch one of the first social networking sites. Now, as a UMSI Advisory Board member, he is helping students pursue their own ambitions with a scholarship that prioritizes low-income Michigan residents who qualified for the Go Blue Guarantee as undergraduates.
Supported by: The Sun Family Scholarship Fund
THEN AND NOW
Social good
Like UMSI’s early graduates who used their skills in library science to serve their communities, more than a thousand students this year leveraged data, design, AI and archival methods to create solutions to real-world challenges.
of BSI, MSI and MHI students completed projects
for clients and communities
client projects completed across Michigan, the U.S. and the globe
I was surprised that much of our project consisted of getting to know the community we’re working with. It made me feel as though we’re helping build a legacy rather than completing a task.
SOCIAL GOOD
Preserving the heartbeat of a community
At the Chicago-based organization CIRCA Pintig — “pintig” meaning “heartbeat” or “pulse” in Filipino — UMSI students participating in Alternative Spring Break helped lay the foundation for a community archive.
SOCIAL GOOD
Working with the center for immigrant resources and community arts, MSI student Sudnya Atre and BSI students Phuc Dinh, Lance Negrut and Brianna Nguyen developed a digital archive framework to preserve and share the stories, artistic expression and cultural history of Chicago’s Filipino American community.
SOCIAL GOOD
Through interviews, surveys and artist-led workshops, the team got to know the community’s needs, and used their findings to shape digitization plans and make user-centered design recommendations.
SOCIAL GOOD
Their project earned second place in the Access, Belonging and Inclusion category at the UMSI Student Project Exposition, receiving a $500 prize funded by donors.
Supported by: The UMSI Annual Fund and The UMSI Culture and Community Fund
THEN AND NOW
Belonging
At their best, libraries offer not just books but belonging. They are shared spaces where people can explore, seek resources and find community. This year, your support helped us give a growing student body the spaces and resources they needed to feel at home.
care bags provided anonymously to students in need
in emergency funding for 65 students
The UMSI community
Core faculty
Active alumni
Current students*
Enrollment by program*
BSI
MSI
MHI
MADS
PhD
*Academic year 2025-26
A room of their own
As undergraduates at U-M in the 1960s, Kenlee Ray (BA ’67, AMLS ’68) and Susan Quackenbush (BS ’69, AMLS ’75) weren’t allowed to enter some rooms — including the popular billiards room in the Michigan Union, where their male classmates would go to unwind and socialize.
Today, a room at UMSI carries their names.
The Kenlee Ray and Susan Quackenbush Student Lounge, made possible by their shared gift, features a modern kitchen, day-use lockers and shared tables with cushioned benches.
I hope students feel comfortable. That it’s a place to relax, collaborate, form community with their fellow students and interact with people they don’t know.
WHAT’S NEXT
Progress on key priorities
As part of the university-wide Look to Michigan campaign, UMSI set a goal of raising $20 million to advance research, expand educational access and support real-world learning for students. Two years into the campaign, your support has brought us within sight of this ambitious goal.
contributed to date
contributed this fiscal year
to our campaign goal
Recurring gifts went further
Through the Look to Michigan Recurring Gift Matching Program, your recurring and payroll gifts were matched dollar for dollar on the first $100 given each month. These combined contributions totaled $2,800 in monthly support for UMSI.
Thank you for shaping our next chapter.
Total production*
Dollars raised*
Donors
First-time donors
Fiscal year 2026: Includes all gifts made July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026
*Total production includes all commitments made to the school during the fiscal year, including pledges and unrealized bequests. Dollars raised reflects revenue received, including realized bequests and payments on pledges made in prior years.
Priority fund accounts
269 donors
29 donors
4 donors
11 donors
90 donors
30 donors
What your gifts supported
158 donors
333 gifts
5 donors
6 gifts
351 donors
718 gifts
23 donors
115 gifts
2 donors
2 gifts