Grand Valley State University President Thomas J. Haas has announced the establishment of a new faculty chair position focused on community philanthropy within Grand Valley’s Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.
“We are tremendously grateful for the opportunity to establish the first chair in community philanthropy in the country,” Haas said. “The Johnson Center is one of the nation’s largest university-based philanthropic centers, and this gift enables it to continue its history of excellence and expand its outreach to communities.”
The W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair will honor the legacy of philanthropy and civic investment of W.K. Kellogg, founder of the Kellogg Company and W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. The chair was established with a $1.5 million gift from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Kellogg Company 25-Year Employees’ Fund.
The individual who will assume the new chair position at Grand Valley will help communities understand their philanthropic landscape and emerging best practices. It is anticipated that partners will include private and corporate donors and the non-profit sector.
“This is a distinctive chair for the field of philanthropy,” said James Edwards II, director of the Johnson Center. “With the addition of this chair, along with the existing Frey Chair for Family Philanthropy, the Johnson Center and Grand Valley are contributing transformational resources, research, and expertise to the sector.”
The Johnson Center is an Academic Center at Grand Valley State University that works locally, nationally, and internationally with foundations, other grantmakers and nonprofits to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the charitable sector.
