Frustrated with what she called the state’s continued divestment in higher education, Oakland University President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz told The Detroit News Thursday that she plans to donate $1 million to her university.
“The reality is that we don’t have enough support to do what we need to do,” Pescovitz said. “I’m concerned that state and federal funding isn’t adequate. When items that need funding come to my desk, I do not have sufficient resources to fund everything.”
Michigan ranks 41st in state higher education funding support nationwide, with the state’s support for its public universities down by $369.3 million since 2011, adjusting for inflation, according to the Michigan Association of State Universities.
As a smaller university ― OU has about 16,000 students and an operating budget of about $318 million ― Oakland University doesn’t have a lot of money to fall back on as inflation-adjusted spending on higher education decreases. Oakland received a 2.1% increase in funding in the state budget finalized in October 2025, raising its total state appropriation to a little over $75.5 million, about $4,730 per student.
The Consumer Price Index rose 2.7% for the year ending in December 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Most of Pescovitz’s donation, $750,000, will go to research as incentive funding, the president said. The money won’t be used to finance research in its entirety, but instead would be used as pilot or bridge funding while researchers secured other sources of funding, Pescovitz said.
The other $250,000 would go to the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Music, Theatre and Dance to improve student experiences and stregthen the university’s programs, she said.
The donation is not meant to create an endowment, said Vice President of University Advancement Mike Westfall. Instead, it is meant as expendable money the university can use immediately, he said.
“This was driven by urgent and critical needs,” Westfall said. “This is the president being responsive.”
The $1 million raises Pescovitz’s lifetime donations to the school to $4.5 million, said OU Director of Media Relations Brian Bierley. Pescovitz has created six endowments supporting faculty excellence, biomedical ethics, global student experiences, Honors College scholarships, free speech and the School of Music, Theatre and Dance.
Pescovitz said she’s considered giving the latest donation anonymously, but Westfall said he convinced her to put her name out there.
“(Pescovitz) leads by example,” Westfall said. “She’s cited from other donors who choose to invest in Oakland. … She inspires others to give.”
satwood@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Oakland University President Pescovitz donates $1M to university
Reporting by Sarah Atwood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
