Across Michigan State, faculty and staff are turning their belief in the university into action—giving back to the students, programs and communities they help build every day.
Faculty and staff are at the heart of Michigan State’s impact. Every day, they teach, mentor, discover and serve communities across the globe. They also give back. During the Uncommon Will, Far Better World campaign, 8,073 employees and retirees have contributed more than $97 million, supporting the programs and opportunities that make the Spartan experience possible.
“I give back to MSU because it provided my family a lot of opportunities—and we want to give those opportunities to others.”
Leo Kempel’s donor journey started in 1999 with $25 and a tax credit.
“I figured out it was free,” he said of his first gift. “At the time, if you made a gift up to a certain amount, it really cost you nothing. And I'd rather give the money to MSU than to the state government.”
Today, that tax credit is long gone, but Kempel’s generosity has only grown in the decades since. A generous supporter of the College of Engineering’s Wolff Student Activities Endowment, which assists undergrads with travel to professional events, student competition teams and other co-curricular activities, Kempel says giving is just part of a habit. Years ago, he set up a recurring gift and has been quietly helping fund the endowment with each paycheck.
“I’ve lost track,” he said. “The great thing is it happens automatically. It’s a normal part of my process—like paying bills.”
Kempel, who served as dean of the MSU College of Engineering from 2014 to 2024, has seen the impact and opportunity made by gifts of all sizes. Working closely with students, he knows how thin the financial line can be.
“A lot of our students are right at the edge of whether they can stay here or not,” he said. “It's a terrible waste if they can’t. You need to have these tools to keep the most important part of a college, which is its people.”
To extend the MSU experience to even more people, Kempel created the Thomas L. Kempel Family Endowed Scholarship to assist first-generation Michigan college students who enroll in the College of Engineering. “MSU is a place of opportunity. Doesn’t matter where you're from, what your background is, what your experiences are, you can come here and do something.”
A first-generation college student himself, the endowment is named for Kempel’s father. “My parents scrimped and saved to send me to college,” he said. “They made this possible.”
The Kempel Family Endowed Scholarship is expected to be awarded to its first recipient ahead of the fall 2026 semester.
Overall, giving is all about opportunity. “A lot of alums look back and say, ‘I did something that I couldn't have done without MSU,’” he said. “It makes me proud to see alums donating back to their programs. They graduated, got jobs, and now they see that value.”
Talk about a good habit.
For more stories highlighting Spartans whose generosity reflects their belief in MSU and the opportunities it creates, read the full “Invested in Spartan success” story.
Story by Tim Cerullo and Ryan Loren.
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page