For the past decade, Ambassador Ronald and Eileen听Weiser听have prioritized improving Michigan鈥檚 education听system. Only 80 percent of the state鈥檚 high school students are graduating 鈥 that鈥檚 4 percent less than the national average. At the time of our conversation, Ambassador Ronald, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, was preoccupied with Michigan鈥檚 2018 general election. However, Eileen, superintendent and member of the State Board of Education, gladly shared the husband-and-wife duo鈥檚听plans听to create learning opportunities that are tailored to boys and girls across the state.
Give Detroit: You and your husband have donated roughly听$80 million to more than 26 schools听and programs at听the University of Michigan. What is your relationship with your alma mater?
Eileen Weiser: With a liberal arts education, you learn how to be a team player, fail at something, and then prevail. The knowledge that the university gave me became useful in navigating future projects, like renovating a scrap yard that went through environmental remediation. Today, I鈥檓 currently chairing the Commission of Presidential Scholars, a committee that selects 151 of the top-performing students across the country that excel in the arts, career听and technical education, as well as academics. I鈥檝e been involved with听a variety of initiatives, even nonprofit or education-based, that I know I wouldn鈥檛 have been prepared for if I not had the education I was fortunate to get. When you鈥檙e lucky enough to have an education that can make the world a better place, even if it鈥檚 a small part of the world, you automatically start thinking about how such a thing can be possible for those behind you.
Many of your donations focus on improving Michigan鈥檚 education听systems.
Our primary focus has been on the University of Michigan, as we have relationships with both the administrators and professors, and understand the challenges they face. I鈥檓 on the State Board of Education, so both Ronald and I are aware that colleges and universities can only start at the point at which K-12 leaves off. My priorities have been trying to find out what it takes to connect every child with an education that works for him or her and听leaves them prepared for life. Michigan currently is not providing this resource, and because of that, it limits the number of kids who are able to go on to post-secondary education. We are working to solve this issue and听prepare tomorrow鈥檚 leaders.
With your major financial gift to the University of Michigan Dearborn, the school was able to establish the Engineering Lab Building. Do you see a connection between this educational institution and the greater future of Detroit?
As a Michigan Science Center board member, Ron and I believe that听Michigan鈥檚 heritage and employment base is directly tied to keeping听families听in state. Anything that develops or听maintains the strength of the state鈥檚 employment base is of importance to us. University of Michigan Dearborn听has an incubator status for its proximity to Detroit, the Henry Ford, Ford Motor Co., and the entirety of the automotive industry in southeastern Michigan.听The automotive tradition is what made southeastern Michigan strong; this was before Driverly and autonomous vehicles, which will certainly shape our society over the next 50 years. The education and skills that come with being an听effective engineer, regardless of how they are utilized, will continue听to be valued into the near and far future.
The Weiser Family Residential Scholarship Fund provides grants for students who lack听the funds needed to achieve higher education.听Why is it important to give Detroit鈥檚 academically achieving students the scholarship they need to attend college?
We鈥檙e finessing听a method听to get every child into a K-16 or K-14 experience;听an education that will help them obtain听a life that they鈥檙e suited to lead. Far too often, kids are held back by education.听According to the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress Report,听Michigan鈥檚 white and African-American students who come from middle and upper-class economic backgrounds, ranked 49th in the country for their reading skills. People are unaware that our state鈥檚 education system is not connecting with every child. Children听living in听inner cities and rural poverty are not the only ones at risk; it鈥檚 also students from wealthier backgrounds. In addition,听29 percent of Michigan鈥檚 children who have Individual Education Plans, or听special-education students who have听dysgraphia, dyslexia,听mild cognitive听or听learning disabilities, drop out from high school. This number is substantial when compared to the听national average, which is 18 percent. We鈥檙e one of a few states that the U.S. Department of Education singled out for intervention along with the Marshall Islands, and Washington, D.C. schools.
You also have contributed toward University of Michigan鈥檚 Project Healthy Schools, which focuses on studying pediatric cancer, food allergies, among other health-related issues. Why are you and your husband so passionate about supporting these causes?
Two of our five grandchildren have Type 1 diabetes, and others are severely affected by food allergies.听There鈥檚 very little funding for research on juvenile diabetes and our philanthropy answers the questions that are听moving medicine toward children who are affected by illnesses. It鈥檚 the same sort of thing as educating children on to live as healthy as possible. These illnesses impact our family or people we care about and they impact children, so I guess that would be the common thread.
What is your personal philanthropic mission?
There are many issues that could be eased with minimal intervention. We鈥檝e not matched providers and听educators who want to help kids, and failed to provide the evidence-based reforms听that are听needed. These reforms have actually made a difference and proven to be effective. I鈥檓 passionate about competency-based learning, which I think is the wave of the future for all schools. You鈥檙e still demanding high standards, but you鈥檙e teaching, for example, geometry by having students build houses. You鈥檙e never going forget geometry if you build a house. In addition, Habitat for Humanity teaches community building and connects people who have a need that you can help address. Students learn teamwork and all of the skills that you need to work effectively in the industries of the future. We should be connecting the dots on these two puzzles that seem like they have no similarities and see if there鈥檚 a new, cost-effective, and smarter way of providing better outcomes than what we鈥檙e doing right now.
What does it mean to you and your husband to be receiving the Association of Fundraising Professionals鈥 Max Fisher award?
Max Fisher was a legend, an extraordinary human being and a delightful person, who was also complicated and challenging. The fact that the award is named after him with all he did is extraordinary for us. We鈥檙e not good at being recognized 鈥 we like being under the radar 鈥 but this听is an extraordinary honor for us and we鈥檙e obviously humbled and appreciative.
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