The University of Michigan (U-M) has announced a $50 million gift in support of its school of education from Kathleen and Bryan Marsal and their children, Megan Kirsch Marsal and Michael Marsal.  

The gift will support the launch of a four-year degree program focused on Learning, Equity and Problem-Solving for the Public Good (LEAPS), which is designed to create novel paths to engage U-M students in education principles and knowledge that can be applied to multiple professions, including teaching, expanding work with the P-20 Partnership on the Marygrove educational campus in Detroit, and supporting future educators by removing financial barriers to certification and providing crucial support during their early professional years.

With the latest commitment, the family has pledged more than $55 million in support of the school of education. In recognition of the gifts, the school will be renamed the Marsal Family School of Education.

“With one of the largest gifts to any school or college of education in the country, the Marsal family brings resources and attention to critical efforts to improve education,” said Elizabeth Birr Moje, dean of the Marsal Family School of Education and the George Herbert Mead Collegiate Professor of Education. “For more than a decade, they have joined this school’s leadership and our entire community in the belief that we can—and do—make a difference in the lives of children, youth, and adults through education research, practice, and policy.”

“We hope there won’t be a teacher shortage in 10 years because teachers will feel supported and valued, and teaching will be seen as a noble profession,” said Megan Kirsch Marsal. “We are excited about U-M’s innovative approaches to teacher education, including the Michigan Education Teaching School in Detroit and extensive work with teacher educators outside of the university.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/ferrantraite)