Educating the best and the brightestANN ARBOR—A generous $665,000 commitment to the University of Michigan from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation will advance the education of students pursuing careers in pharmaceutical and life science-related industries. It is the largest gift ever given to Michigan by the Lilly Foundation as well as the first benefiting several schools and colleges across campus.

Over three years, $500,000 of the total gift will go to the College of Pharmacy‘s Eli Lilly Academic Technology Program; $90,000 to the Tauber Manufacturing Institute‘s LeadershipAdvantage Program; $45,000 to pharmaceutical engineering, a new joint academic program of the College of Engineering and the College of Pharmacy; and $30,000 for undergraduate scholarships in chemical engineering at the College of Engineering.

“Lilly knows that the future is in the minds and hands of the best and the brightest,” said Scott Canute, vice president, manufacturing, for Lilly and a Michigan alumnus. “Our support of various programs at the finest universities helps us fulfill our mission of providing answers that matter.”

This gift further exemplifies the strong partnership the University and Lilly have enjoyed over the years not only in financial support, but also in research initiatives. Lilly is also well represented through its very active volunteers on four advisory boards at Michigan: the College of Engineering’s National Advisory Committee, the Business School‘s Corporate Advisory Board, the College of Pharmacy Dean’s Advisory Committee, and the Tauber Manufacturing Institute’s Advisory Board. Strong ties are also evident through the continuous recruitment of U-M graduates with more than 200 alumni currently employed by Lilly.

The Lilly Foundation’s $500,000 contribution to the College of Pharmacy will make a significant impact on the College’s academic programs by helping fund the new Instructional Technology Facility and other program initiatives. These efforts include upgrading computer technology in classrooms, developing Web-based instruction, distance learning, and creating a community of scholars, who can discuss issues related to science and the pharmaceutical industry.

The Tauber Manufacturing Institute (TMI), created in 1993 as a partnership between industry and the U-M’s College of Engineering and Business School, will use its $90,000 funding for the development and implementation of the LeadershipAdvantage Program. This program integrates academic work and actual experience with team building and individual leadership, all skills needed for an executive to succeed in the manufacturing sector.

Pharmaceutical engineering, Michigan’s new interdisciplinary graduate research and training program through the College of Engineering and the College of Pharmacy, will receive $45,000 for curriculum development and support. This program targets students with an interest in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as practitioners, who may seek advanced study through distance learning with minimal interruption of their job functions. Lilly Foundation funding joins other corporate sponsors from Pfizer, Pharmacia, and Roche specifically for a new seminar series that is made available to remote locations via satellite broadcast.

Undergraduate education in chemical engineering at the College of Engineering will also benefit tremendously from the $30,000 Lilly Foundation gift earmarked for scholarship support. Third-year students with an interest in the pharmaceutical industry will be eligible for the Lilly Undergraduate Scholarship awards.

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