Wayne State University has received a $750,000 gift from Leda McIntyre Hall '84 Ph.D. to create the Leda McIntyre Hall Endowed Ph.D. Fellowship in Political Science in Wayne State's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Established as an endowed fund, the fellowship will provide tuition support for one Ph.D. student each year in perpetuity. Preference will be given to those students studying public administration, American government or urban politics.

"Dr. McIntyre Hall's gift emphasizes the importance of encouraging the advanced study of political science," said College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Wayne M. Raskind. "We are extremely grateful that she is creating this opportunity at Wayne State for students with the curiosity and commitment to examine important issues."

McIntyre Hall enrolled in the Ph.D. program in political science at Wayne State in 1981. She received a tuition waiver and a stipend, which made it possible to pursue her degree full time. In her graduate work, McIntyre Hall examined the then-emerging nonprofit sector.

"When I look back on my career, which I've really enjoyed, I couldn't have done it without Wayne State," she said. "I've always thought I'd like to make a gift to Wayne State, and I'm fortunate enough that I'm able to help somebody else go to graduate school."

Daniel Geller, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, said McIntyre Hall's gift will create opportunities for promising academics, while strengthening the department's research capacity.

"A fellowship like this enables us to recruit students of the highest caliber," Geller said. "The Department of Political Science is ranked very highly according to the National Research Council, and gifts like this make us even more competitive."

McIntyre Hall also holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Colorado Women's College and a master's degree in public administration from the Ohio State University. She was recruited to Wayne State by professor Richard Elling, who would serve as one of her Ph.D. advisors.

After graduating from Wayne State, McIntyre Hall secured a visiting faculty position at the University of Notre Dame. She went on to a full-time appointment at Indiana University South Bend, where she spent 26 years as a faculty member and served as campus dean of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

McIntyre Hall also has taught at Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky, and she currently teaches a health care management course at George Washington University.

The gift from McIntyre Hall is part of Wayne State University's $750 million Pivotal Moments fundraising campaign. As of July 30, 2016, the campaign had raised $573.2 million.

(August 22, 2016)