This endowment was established in 2004 by the Delta College Foundation Board of Directors to fund the Delta College President’s Speaker Series. Dr. Peter D. Boyse served as President of Delta College from 1993 to 2005. The endowment honored Dr. Boyse on the tenth anniversary of his presidency at Delta, and also honored his wife, Barbra, a strong and supportive partner in her husband's work and the success he accomplished.

In early 2004, Dr. Peter D. Boyse announced his intentions to retire as President of Delta College in 2005. The Delta College Foundation, in conjunction with the College’s Executive Staff members, planned and implemented a fundraising campaign to honor Dr. Boyse’s leadership tenure. Because of his strong belief in addressing the issue of diverse hiring needs, funds were sought and committed to the President’s Scholar Program.

The Foundation raised nearly $1.6 million to start an endowment dedicated to supporting future diversity needs. The initiative was announced as a surprise at Dr. Boyse’s retirement party in June 2005. The College then launched the President’s Scholar Program with its first full-time hire in Fall 2008.

Funding has been allocated to support the temporary appointment of a promising faculty member for up to three years, paying for the faculty member’s salary, fringe benefits and  professional development.  The goal is to help the person qualify for a full-time tenure-track appointment at the end of the three-year grant. 

The Delta College Planetarium & Learning Center, located in Bay City, Michigan, was dedicated in 1997. The facility is the result of securing an $8.75 million grant provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to design and build the center. More than 25,000 people visit each year to attend a planetarium show or special event. The facility houses a state-of-the-art planetarium and theater complex with a 50-foot domed screen and seating for 146 visitors, along with a rooftop observatory and sundial.

The lobby of the Center features a terrazzo floor that depicts constellations of the night sky. Individuals, companies and families are able to purchase individual stars, adding their name(s) to the constellations, with the dollars contributed supporting the operations of the Planetarium. The Planetarium endowment fund helps to support annual software and maintenance costs.

This fund was launched in 2006 utilizing funds contributed by a variety of local donors, along with additional unrestricted dollars held by the Delta Foundation.  These funds established the English Division Guest Lecturer endowment. Distributions from this fund are to be used at the discretion of the English division to allow visits from area speakers.

Authors and outside guests were the hallmark of Delta College’s Young Authors Day event, which was held from 1988 to 2006.  The biannual event served as a conference for area fourth, fifth and sixth grade students and impacted over 15,000 participants. The conference brought together many professional authors, illustrators, storytellers, and even musical performers who create and promote literature for children and who share with young writers and readers how they write or find motivation to create. This important gathering encouraged donors to contribute the funds that later established the English Division Guest Lecturer Endowment.

Since 1988, private donations have helped to establish the Delta College Global Education Program Endowment. Interest generated from this endowment helps to support Delta College's International and Intercultural Programs, which facilitate faculty, staff and community projects that foster a global perspective, respect diversity, value the environment and develop skills necessary to work and live in an evolving world community.

Delta College received a generous gift from the late Patricia L. and Robert W. Grant Jr. in support of the arts and humanities. The endowment provides two scholarships annually to Saginaw students who study art at Delta College. Additional funding will be used to broaden students' exposure and involvement in the arts and humanities through Student Art Show honorariums, guest speakers, artwork purchase prize funding, equipment purchases and student field trips. Mr. Grant passed away in 2002. Mrs. Grant passed away in 2014.

Delta College started the Possible Dream Program in 1991 to encourage young, at-risk students to graduate from high school and attend college. We have enjoyed great success over the years in both our fundraising efforts and in helping our area youth. The program began with 45 students and, since its inception, provides the opportunity for students from Bay, Midland and Saginaw Counties to experience educational and cultural activities, to which they would otherwise not have access.

Since 1991, the Delta College Foundation has hosted two highly successful annual fundraising events in support of this program. From 1991 to 2000, The Holiday Preview Benefit was hosted and held at the Jacobson store in downtown Saginaw. Since 2001, the Foundation hosts A Chocolate Affair, every November.

The Sturm Family established an endowment to support the continuing programming costs of Delta College Public TV. DeVere Sturm was born in Pigeon, Michigan in 1931, to parents of German ancestry. During a visit to Germany in 1963, while visiting relatives in Bavaria, he met Zita Olga Ecker. Soon after this meeting, Zita moved to the United States, and they were married. DeVere and Zita have lived all their married lives on the family farm in Pigeon, which was homesteaded by DeVere's great-grandfather, August Sturm, who had emigrated from Germany.

DeVere helped to establish and was the co-owner of a steel foundry, Huron Casting, Inc., to which he devoted most of his professional career. Zita has volunteered countless hours to help local charities such as Meals on Wheels and her church. DeVere and Zita have four children: Eva, Julia, Anne and Benjamin.

The Sturm family has maintained a close bond with Germany, and family members return often to visit relatives and to enjoy German culture. Over the years, DeVere and Zita have been very generous to Delta College’s public TV and radio stations and we are pleased to honor the Sturm Family by creating this programming endowment in their name.

This funding from the Melvin L. and Hilda J. Zuehlke Foundation, gave Delta College the opportunity to address the need for both scholarships and student special financial needs.  The process is managed through the Delta College Foundation Office. The Zuehlkes were interested in students who demonstrate determination and resourcefulness to further their education.

The Carlyon Endowed Teaching Chair was the College’s first Endowed Teaching Chair, first given out in 1994.  It was funded by donations in tribute to Delta College President Emeritus Don Carlyon and his wife, Betty. Mr. Carlyon served as President from 1964 until his retirement in 1992. This Chair Award encourages faculty to pursue a professional activity or project, which may include the development of new academic modules, infusion activities or service learning opportunities.  Don retired in 1992 and led Delta College to become a founding member of the League for Innovation in the Community College. 

Robert DeVinney was a Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Delta College from 1961 until his retirement in 1991. He later lost his short battle with cancer in 2000. This award was first given in 2004.  Bob is remembered for his dedication to students and as an innovator both in and out of the classroom. Professor DeVinney received the Bergstein Award for Teaching Excellence and the Don Laughner Award for Creative Change, which are both prominent recognitions at Delta College. He also helped Delta to embrace the comprehensive community college concept during the1960s as the leader of "The Summer Project", which the President, Don Carlyon, referred to as the single most important event in the history of Delta College.

The SunGard Higher Education Endowed Teaching Chair award was established in 2006 by the Florida-based company that specializes in providing information technology services to colleges and universities nationwide.

Projects are encouraged to foster an integrated perspective on student learning through collaboration of multiple divisions or departments across campus. In a 2012 merger, the company was renamed Ellucian and remains a global leader in software and processing solutions for financial services, higher education and the public sector. Ellucian serves more than 25,000 customers in more than 50countries, including the world’s 50 largest financial services companies. Delta College has contracted for information technology services with SunGard, then Ellucian, since 1996.

Friends, family members and colleagues established this Endowed Teaching Chair award upon Karen MacArthur’s retirement in 2007. The fund supports projects focused on art, languages, music, literature, psychology or history, especially those that demonstrate high levels of creativity and innovation. The award was first given out in 2011.  Karen began her employment at Delta College in 1982as Director of Telelearning, and assumed the duties of Executive Director of the Delta College Foundation in1986 and later led the College's Institutional Advancement efforts. During her tenure, the College’s endowment grew from a market value of $400,000 to more than $12 million, and the College received more than $50 million in contributions from the private sector.

The Robert R. “Dr. Bob” Zimmermann Endowed Teaching Chair was first awarded in 2020 to provide professional development opportunities for faculty members. Proposals must demonstrate the primary values exemplified by Dr. Bob during his tenure at Delta College, including his belief all students should be treated equitably, with an equal opportunity to learn.  Applications including general professional development projects for faculty members will be considered, including those working in areas of disabilities or different learning styles are welcome to apply.  Eligibility:  Faculty members who are directly involved in the teaching process.  This award was established by Dr. Stephanie and Dr. Ted Coopman in memory of her father, Robert Zimmerman.  Dr. Bob joyfully worked at Delta College from 1980 until his retirement in 1995, directing the program for parents of children with disabilities and serving as Assistant Professor of Psychology from 1989 until 1995. Dr. Bob found teaching at Delta rewarding because his efforts resulted in both immediate and long-lasting gains for his students. He often said that he’d found his professional home at Delta College and greatly appreciated the opportunity to join the Delta community.