Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo has announced a $550 million gift from alumni who wish to remain anonymous.

To be disbursed over ten years, the largest gift to a public university in the United States (according to the Chronicle of Higher Education) includes $300 million in support of the Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, including funding for scholarships, programming for a diverse and inclusive medical school community, and innovation, collaboration, and discovery in basic science, clinical science, and community-based research. Another $200 million will support an expansion of need-based financial aid, degree completion support, experiential learning opportunities, and mental health services for students, as well as initiatives to enhance faculty diversity and advance interdisciplinary education and research; the remaining $50 million will be earmarked for the school's athletic programs.

According to university officials, Western Michigan's endowment before the gift stood at $480 million. In 2011, anonymous donors made the previous largest gift to Western Michigan: $100 million to establish the school of medicine.

The latest gift will enable the university to make education more affordable for underrepresented students, university president Edward Montgomery told the Washington Post. Thirty percent of Western Michigan students have enough financial need to qualify for federal Pell grants — a higher share than among students at the University of Michigan (18 percent) and Michigan State University (22 percent). "We do a good job in promoting social mobility. Our donors believe in that vision," he added, describing the donors as "longtime supporters of the university who have always been advocates for social justice and the advancement mission of the campus."

"We call it the Empowering Futures Gift because at its core is our donors' belief that inclusive education empowers people and communities to create a bright future for all," Montgomery said in announcing the gift. "Like Western, our donors are committed to a future that truly provides opportunity for everyone to advance. In order to empower our future, we must break down the barriers created by historic inequities. This gift is an important step in leveling the playing field and putting quality education in reach for students from historically underrepresented populations. It will empower a new generation of students, doctors and athletes from every corner of our community so they can reach the full measure of their potential."