The University of Michigan’s Erb Institute in Ann Arbor has received a $4.9 million grant from the Fred & Barbara Erb Family Foundation to support current and future Erb graduate students.
Building on 30 years of commitment to sustainability through business, the new Erb Institute Legacy Scholarships will support Erb students who are pursuing an MBA at the Ross School of Business or a master’s degree at the School for Environment and Sustainability.
“My parents believed deeply in the power of Erb students to change the world,” says John Erb, son of the founders of the Erb Institute and chair of the Fred & Barbara Erb Family Foundation.
“Thirty years after its founding, the Erb Institute is, by every measure, the No. 1 business and sustainability institute in the world, graduating alumni who are working on the most pressing issues of our time.”
This new gift increases the scholarship packages awarded to Erb Institute students, making the dual-degree program accessible to more students and reducing the financial burden on graduates who will pursue sustainability-related careers across sectors.
“Our students’ success during and after their time at the University of Michigan is thanks, in large part, to the generosity of the Erb family,” says Charlene Zietsma, the Erb Institute’s faculty director. “Scholarships are one of the most powerful tools to ensure we are continuing to shape a future that is sustainable in every way through the power of our students and alumni.”
Since its founding, the Erb Institute has graduated close to 1,000 students. The alumni have gone on to hold high-ranking public offices, found social-impact-focused ventures, and join the C-suites of Fortune 500 companies.
The grant funds the Erb Legacy Scholarship for the next 10 years, and marks the beginning of a fundraising effort by the Erb Institute to support this scholarship in perpetuity.
“We believe that business can and must be a tool for good in the world and Erb students and alumni are living proof of that belief,” Erb says. “With our gift, we’ve ensured increased scholarships for the next 10 years. We’d like to call on anyone who shares that conviction to join us—support the scholarship fund and help Erb students carry this work forward for the next 20, 30, (or) 40 years.”
For more information, visit erb.umich.edu/.
