ANN ARBOR—Kenneth Eisenberg, chairman and CEO of Kenwal Steel Corporation, and his wife Frances, have given $5 million to name and support the Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies at the University of Michigan.

This gift is the largest ever received by the Department of History in U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA).

” Frances and I have always been committed to a liberal arts education, especially history,” Eisenberg said. ” We could think of no better way to demonstrate our commitment than to provide financial support for the Institute for Historical Studies.” Kenneth and Frances (Aftel) Eisenberg received their bachelor’s degrees from Michigan in 1964, he in history and she in education.

The Eisenbergs’ gift will elevate the institute to national prominence by providing the resources to attract renowned historians and scholars to the University and create unparalleled educational opportunities, vigorous intellectual exchange and ground-breaking historical research. Through a variety of programs, seminars and lectures, the Eisenberg Institute will enable students, faculty and the broader community to interact with distinguished lecturers and international scholars. It will also sponsor outreach activities for teachers of history at the pre-college level.

U-M President Mary Sue Coleman says she is pleased that the Eisenbergs’ gift will empower the institute to broaden national and international discourse in the field by providing a world-class forum to stimulate imaginative new scholarship and innovative approaches to the study and teaching of history that will redefine training for future generations of historians.

” The generosity of Kenneth and Frances Eisenberg will further the tremendous academic strengths of the Institute for Historical Studies, the Department of History, and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts,” Coleman said. ” By advancing the study of history and the ways it is taught, the Eisenbergs’ gift secures a promising future for Michigan students and faculty.”

The U-M Department of History, long ranked among the top five programs in the country, is one of only a handful nationwide that offers historical expertise spanning the globe and the ages. The department is nationally recognized for the excellence of its teaching and research and for producing new historical knowledge that expands traditional conceptions of history.

” We are tremendously grateful to Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg for their transformative gift to the Department of History,” said LSA Dean Terrence J. McDonald. ” The Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Institute will propel this already nationally ranked department into the forefront of its field and will enrich the University community immeasurably. This gift will create a legacy for decades to come.”

The Eisenbergs are active Michigan supporters. Kenneth Eisenberg is a member of Dean McDonald’s The Michigan Difference campaign advisory group. His son, Stephen, also a graduate of LSA, is a member of the Greater Detroit Major Gifts Committee.

To date, LSA has raised more than $226 million from alumni and friends for scholarship aid and faculty and program support, in order to provide broad educational access and to continue the proud tradition of outstanding teaching and research that makes a powerful and positive difference in the world. The Eisenberg gift moves LSA nearer to its fundraising goal of raising $300 million during the University-wide $2.5 billion The Michigan Difference campaign.

In addition to their gifts to U-M, Kenneth and Frances Eisenberg also support dozens of social institutions and community organizations including: the Detroit Institute of Arts, Music Hall, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, the Jewish Federation & United Jewish Foundation of Metro Detroit, The Sinai Guild, the United Jewish Appeal, and Jewish Vocational Services.