Former Gov. James Blanchard Donates $1 Million To Michigan State
EAST LANSING (AP) - Former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard and his wife have donated $1 million to Michigan State University.
The East Lansing school announced Thursday the donation from James and Janet Blanchard will be used to create the Spartan Statesmanship Award for Distinguished Public Service and a related lecture series called the Governor Jim Blanchard Public Service Forum.
In a statement, the former Democratic governor says he wants to "inspire future generations of Spartan statesmen in much the same way I was inspired as a young man."
Blanchard earned a bachelor's degree in social science in 1964 and a master's in business administration in 1965 from MSU.
The award, which includes a cash prize, and the lecture series will be administered by the Department of Political Science in the College of Social Science.
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