The Department of Statistics at the University of Michigan has long been ranked in the top ten and continues to excel in research and education. As home to both Statistics and Data Science majors and Master’s programs, we serve over 800 undergraduates and about 300 Master’s students. Many of our faculty are internationally recognized leaders in statistics or rising stars, and our PhD students continue to head to top jobs in both academia and industry. The department is continuously evolving in response to our fast moving field, from faculty adding deep learning and large language models to their research agendas to intro Stats courses leaning on GenAI to make data analysis more accessible to students from a wide range of backgrounds. Our alumni and their input, as always, remain a priceless resource to the department. Your donations help us train and inspire future statisticians and data scientists while advancing science and technology through our research, and have a positive impact both within the University of Michigan and beyond.
Giving Opportunities
Statistics Strategic Fund (308222)
The Strategic Fund is the most flexible and the most general; it allows the Department to direct resources where most needed, and funds initiatives that other funds do not. Contributing to the Strategic Fund will ensure that your gift is used for advancing the frontiers of our discipline.
Brenda Gunderson, Lecturer IV Emerita, retired from full-time teaching in 2020 after more than 30 years at the department. She has won every teaching award on this campus and was loved by many generations of undergraduates as the lead instructor of the biggest class in LSA, STATS 250 (previously known as 350 and 402). She has trained and mentored generations of GSIs and inspired the whole department by her unparalleled commitment to undergraduate education. The department uses the Undergraduate Initiatives Fund named in honor of Brenda to support undergraduate scholarships, prizes, our thriving Undergraduate Research Program, and outstanding GSI prizes, particularly the Brenda Gunderson Teaching Award, given annually to an outstanding GSI of a lower-level introductory course.
“Brenda has always had so much joy and enthusiasm for teaching statistics, and working with her has made me realize that this is what I want to do.” - Nick Seewald, PhD 2020, inaugural recipient of the Brenda Gunderson GSI award.
Michael Woodroofe was one of the founding members when the department was created in 1969, and retired as the L. J. Savage Professor of Statistics in 2009. He passed away in 2022. Michael was a formidable researcher in statistics and probability, a great teacher, a kind and generous mentor to generations of students, and a good friend to many of his colleagues. The department uses the Graduate Initiatives Fund named in honor of Michael to support graduate students, through travel grants, summer research support, research prizes, and funding for the PhD Student council activities. It is also used for recruiting activities and to support the department’s annual Woodroofe Lecture, given by a statistics scholar of high international stature chosen by the faculty.
“Michael Woodroofe introduced me to a world of ideas that have been with me ever since. He was a great help, always challenging and gentle and supportive to his students.” - Ray Faith, PhD 1975
“As a PhD student in Michigan's Statistics Department, I’ve always felt like the department has my back. The department's leadership is enormously receptive to student feedback---actively seeking out our opinions and experiences to make sure that everything is going as well as it can be---and it's clear that supporting students is a key priority. As I've visited other departments on the academic job market, I have been struck by how unique Michigan Statistics is in its commitment to supporting its PhD students.” - Dan Kessler, PhD 2023
