Dow’s impact on education around Midland

The STEM Explorer program reaches out to middle and high school students in the Great Lakes Bay Region, as well as to our local communities. Since we make multiple trips to high schools during the Deep Dive projects (with multiple student contacts at each school), our “contacts” jump from 29,400 to 38,300 overall.

Through the end of 2019, the STEM Explorer visited schools in 13 counties in and around the Great Lakes Bay Region- Bay, Saginaw, Arenac, Midland, Tuscola, Sanilac, Huron, Oscoda, Clare, Isabella, Gratiot, Iosco and Genesee.

Elements of the project include an interdisciplinary approach, bringing multiple topics together in lesson plans, a project-based activities and hands-on opportunities. 

As of November 2019, we have worked with over 29,400 individual students, teachers, and community members while making over 300 school and event visits:

· 2016-17- 7,500 (inaugural year)

· 2017-18- 10,000

· 2018-19- 8,500

· Fall of 2019 – 3,978 and on pace for another 9,000-10,000 for the year.

Throughout our history, SVSU has benefited greatly from Dow as a company, as well as from the Dow family and their charitable foundations.

In recent years, Dow has partnered with SVSU to support a variety of community engagement initiatives, including a teacher fellowship program and a Chief Science Officers program that are each designed to boost STEM teaching and learning throughout our region. Similarly, Dow supported a mobile STEM lab that travels to K-12 schools and other sites to provide students with access to labs and learning.

In addition, Dow provides many SVSU students with internship and co-op opportunities. The company also hires many SVSU graduates; currently more than 500 SVSU alumni are employed by Dow.

Dow family names are also evident across our campus. Among the examples include the Doan Center, one of our oldest facilities, which includes our main cafeteria. It is named for Leland Doan, a Dow president who also served on SVSU’s Board of Control. Alden Dow served as the architect for the project, which began in 1969 and was completed in 1970; there have been expansions since. SVSU’s Herbert Dow Doan Science Building was built in 1986 and named in honor of “Ted” Doan; it too has expanded in the years that followed.

“We are extremely grateful that Dow and the Dow family have invested so deeply and so consistently in SVSU over the years, and for our many ongoing partnerships,” said Don Bachand, SVSU President. “They long have understood that a vital public university is essential to the success of our community. Beyond the dollars – which have been considerable – we also have seen leaders of Dow, the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, and the Dow family serve on our Board of Control; their collective service has been a great asset to the growth and development of our university.”

SVSU also has received a number of major gifts from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, the Gerstacker Foundation, the Strosacker Foundation and others.

A rundown of the many projects that Dow and Dow Foundations have supported over the years at Central Michigan University, this is in the millions and expands across many projects / colleges on campus while impacting 1000’s of students. One of their largest contributions was to name the Health Professions Building in 2000 – The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions Building.

“Northwood University and Dow Inc. have enjoyed a wonderful partnership ever since Northwood’s beginnings in Midland,” said Justin Marshall, vice president of advancement and business development. “From there, the relationship has only grown to benefit the growth of campus by supporting scholarships, and STEM, academic and community programming, as well as recognizing local and national leaders through our Distinguished Women and Outstanding Business Leader celebrations.”