I was asked to address a luncheon for donors to the Schoolcraft College Foundation which was held today. Following are my remarks.

Although we are here today being recognized for our contributions to the Schoolcraft College Foundation, I know that none of us made our donations so that we could attend a nice luncheon. Instead, it is our honor and privilege to support the continued success of students at Schoolcraft College.

As a professor of English and history, I am in a unique position to see how our combined donations benefit students and help prepare them for success in the 21^st century. For example, on Monday, my students were some of the more than 300 individuals who attended Global Roundtables which was partially funded by those of us who are here today. Yesterday, I met with some students who will be building on what they learned at Global Roundtables for a class presentation they are doing later this semester. We are not funding their research, but because we helped fund Global Roundtables these students and their colleagues are developing important critical thinking skills they can apply to their classes and to their lives.

Yesterday, one of my classes attended a Pageturners event along with two other classes; an event which was partially funded by our contributions. Because of our donations, students who participate in Pageturners are exposed to new ideas that expand their world views.

Next week, in this very room, students will both attend and present at the Multicultural Fair. The Multicultural Fair organizers expect that 3,000 or more people will benefit from this event which is partially funded by our donations. And there are the students who are only able to attend college because our donations pay for their scholarships. And all students benefit from our donations because we help fund tutors and Writing Fellows and so much more.

I am especially privileged because I can see the direct results of our donations on a day-to-day basis. But I am also privileged to have been raised in a family where philanthropy and community service were core values. The Schoolcraft College Foundation is only one of the many organizations my father Lorain Berg supports. And one of the things that first attracted me to my partner was his generous nature. But, in this room, being generous to the Schoolcraft College Foundation and the larger community is not a unique trait.

However, there are more personal reasons why part of my contributions to the Schoolcraft College Foundation have been directed to the Berg Endowment which rewards students on academic dismissal who begin to turn their lives around. I am especially grateful to help students get a second chance because I was almost one of those students. I know from personal experience that it is difficult to do research and to keep up your grade point average when you drink like a fish.

On 22 March 1983, twenty nine years ago today, I made a decision that would change my academic career. I consumed my last alcoholic drink. Seventeen years later, I began my career at Schoolcraft College and started to contribute $250 a year to the foundation. Since then, I have continued to increase the amount of my annual contribution; something the college makes very easy for me to do through payroll deduction.

It was almost three decades ago that I was sitting in Michigan State University’s version of Henry’s trying to decide whether or not to purchase a cup of coffee. The issue was financial. If I spent a quarter buying the coffee, I could not spend the quarter on something else I might need.

Today, I no longer worry about whether or not I can afford a cup of coffee. Even at today’s prices, I could purchase thousands of cups of coffee with the amount I donate each year to the Schoolcraft College Foundation.

Like you, I have been blessed. Like you, I choose to share my blessings with the students at Schoolcraft College. Like you, I am honored and privileged to have the opportunity to help transform students’ lives.