Receiving the Donald Holzhauer Endowed Scholarship was a pivotal moment for Holly Linton. "I remember reading the email and bursting into tears," said Linton. "If I hadn't been awarded that scholarship that semester, I wouldn't have been able to stay enrolled."

The Holzhauer family established the scholarship to celebrate the life of Donald Holzhauer, a decorated World War II veteran whose children earned eight degrees at Wayne State. It is one of 446 endowed scholarships created so far during the Pivotal Moments campaign. Because the scholarship is endowed, it is permanently available to support hardworking students.

Endowed funds at Wayne State are pooled together in the university's endowment, which operates much like a retirement account. The university carefully invests the funds now so there is ongoing funding to support students and faculty members far into the future.

A strong endowment is critical to Wayne State's financial stability, so increasing the endowment's size has been a key focus of the Pivotal Moments campaign. The university set a campaign goal to raise $188 million for the endowment. With donors contributing more than $173 million to date, we expect to meet that goal in 2018 as Wayne State celebrates its 150th anniversary.

As we reflect on past achievements, it is important to build a strong foundation so Wayne State can have an even greater impact in the future. As Donald Holzhauer's son Mike put it, "There aren't too many things that last a long time, but we think Wayne State is one of them. We're honored to help upcoming generations of students be the best they can be."

Pivotal Moments: Our Campaign for Wayne State University honors the pivotal moments Wayne State has created in people's lives and provides support to create future moments for students, faculty and the community. Every gift to every area of the university counts toward our ambitious goal to raise $750 million by 2018, the 150th anniversary of the university's founding. To learn more about Pivotal Moments and the impact giving makes at Wayne State, browse through our Impact Stories.

(July 26, 2017)