Elizabeth Campbell, ’78, recently made a gift to establish an endowed fund that will support the Black Alumni Reunion and related efforts in perpetuity. Campbell’s gift will be combined with surplus funds from previous Reunions—more than 50 alumni have made gifts over the years—to establish the Black Alumni Reunion Fund.
Campbell has served as a volunteer executive co-chair for every Reunion since the first event in 2014. While fundraising has been an important part of each Black Alumni Reunion, Campbell’s motivation was to establish something that would endure and provide an opportunity for others to make a lasting contribution.
“I wanted to do something that will encourage others to give at modest levels because, collectively, we can create something special,” she says. “Endowing the fund means that it will live on, and the proceeds will enable us to keep supporting our students into the future.”
Michigan Law’s Black Alumni Reunion is held every three years and supports the recruitment, matriculation, and success of Black students at the Law School. To support these efforts, volunteers raised $26,000 during the first Reunion to put toward subsidizing production costs and registration fees for the event—in particular for admitted and current students as well as recent alumni and those working in the public interest sector. Fundraising to support the Reunion continued for the 2017, 2020, and 2023 events.
Elizabeth Campbell, ’78I wanted to do something that will encourage others to give at modest levels because, collectively, we can create something special. Endowing the fund means that it will live on, and the proceeds will enable us to keep supporting our students into the future.
The inclusive nature of the new fund exemplifies the ethos of the Reunion program, which is open to all alumni of the Law School as well as all current and admitted students. It also builds on the legacy of another community-supported fund at Michigan Law, the Alden J. “Butch” Carpenter Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded each year at the Black Law Students Association’s annual gala. The Carpenter scholarship was established to honor a Black student who died in 1978 during his first year at Michigan Law.
“I remember watching the Carpenter scholarship fund and annual event grow and grow,” Campbell says. “What began as a modest scholarship is now endowed in the seven figures, and I’m very proud of that history. With the Reunion, and now this new fund, we hope to replicate the success of that community effort.”
Campbell’s gift, combined with existing surplus funds, totaled around $80,000 when the fund was established in the spring of 2024—$20,000 short of the Law School’s threshold for permanently endowed funds. Per the agreement with the Law School, supporters of the fund have until the end of 2027 to meet that threshold.
Signs suggest, however, that it won’t take until the end of 2027 to permanently establish the fund. When it was announced to members of the Reunion’s steering committee in May 2024, one longtime volunteer immediately pledged to match up to $10,000 in gifts from others—inspiring a number of on-the-spot commitments. As of November 2024, gifts intended for the fund have totaled nearly $95,000. (To make a contribution to the fund, visit U-M's Giving website.)
For Campbell, the goal of the new fund and Reunion program is ultimately about doing what she can for others and working to better the Law School and its community. It’s also why she attends the Black Alumni Reunion and encourages aspiring lawyers to attend Michigan Law.
“If we’re fortunate enough, we will do something in our lifetimes that can be our legacy, and this work is driven by the fact that we want to contribute to a rich experience for all students, prospective students, and alumni,” she says. “Michigan is creating the leaders of the future, and the impact of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is critical to that endeavor. And that’s the value of this mission: bringing diverse perspectives together and intellectually creating the foundation to solve tomorrow’s problems.”
Michigan Law’s first Black Alumni Reunion—then known as the African American Alumni Reunion—took place in 2014. The Reunion has since been established as a recurring event held every three years, and alumni returned to the Law Quad and participated in increasing numbers in 2017 and 2023. (The March 2020 Reunion was postponed due to the pandemic and was reenvisioned as a virtual event the following year.)
The Black Alumni Reunion Fund will support activities and programs that demonstrate that Michigan Law is a welcoming and inclusive place for all students, particularly for Black students. As outlined in its establishing documents, the goals of the fund are that:
- The Reunion, its programs, and its support for increasing Michigan Law’s representation of the diverse populations from which its students come will thrive in perpetuity;
- And that through these efforts, Michigan Law will continue its tradition of excellence in producing some of the country’s, and the world’s, best lawyers.
