James A. Michener: Philanthropy

James A. Michener lived and worked at the University of Northern Colorado (then Colorado State College of Education) from 1936-1941.  After leaving, Michener maintained ties with the school, returning as a guest speaker on several occasions.  In 1972, the university dedicated the James A. Michener Library in his honor.  Michener offered continuous support to the university through his donations.  In 1976, he donated 37 linear feet of papers related to his bestselling novel Centennial and in 1997 Michener designated the university as the repository for his estate papers (Linscome, 1999).  These donations became the basis for the James A. Michener Special Collection, which has expanded to include over 900 linear feet of materials.  Michener also donated funds to the Cumbres program, an initiative to support minority students in teacher education programs, and to purchase books for the library.  

Photo Credit: University of Northern Colorado

The Michener Art Museum opened in 1988 with joint financial support from James A. Michener and the Bucks County Arts Council.  Michener provided the first endowment for the museum and continued to support the museum over his lifetime with donations of money and artwork.  In 1992, Michener made a significant contribution to the museum by establishing the Michener Art Endowment Challenge, which matched donations of artwork with additional funds (Michener Art Museum, 2017).  Today, the Michener Museum houses a permanent collection of paintings donated by Michener as well as an exhibition celebrating his legacy as a writer and citizen of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. 

The Michener Center for Writers was founded in the early 1990s and is funded by an endowment from James A. and Mari Michener.  The program, originally called the Texas Center for Writers, was renamed to honor Michener after his death in 1997.  The Michener Center is home to University of Texas at Austin’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing.  Through the endowment, this unique full-time residency program provides MFA candidates with full tuition and a stipend for three years, and allows writers to focus on their creative works full time (Michener Center for Writers, 2017). 

Photo Credit: Larry D. Moore

James A. Michener developed a relationship with Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida as a member of their Academy of Senior Professionals.  As an academy member, Michener lived and taught at Eckerd College in the early 1990s.  In 1992, Michener donated funds to the college to endow scholarships for minority students (Blumenstyk, 1992). 

Photo Credit: Sterling Watson

James and Mari Michener were long-term benefactors to the Honolulu Museum of Art.  Starting in the 1950’s the Micheners placed many of the Japanese woodblock print in his personal collection on long-term loan to the museum.  Over time, they continued to support the museum through loaned and donated works.  In 1991, the Micheners donated the remaining prints in their personal collection, ultimately contributing over 5,000 prints to the Honolulu Museum of Art (Honolulu Museum of Art, 2017). 

Photo Credit: Honolulu Museum of Art

James A. Michener had longstanding ties to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). From 1978-1987 he served on the NASA Advisory Committee and relied on contacts at NASA for research assistance for his 1982 novel, Space.  Michener initiated the NASA College Scholarship fund in 1982, donating funds to provide scholarships for dependents of current and former NASA employees (NASA College Scholarship Fund website, 2017).  The fund awarded its first scholarship in 1985 continues to support students today.

Photo Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

In addition to supporting the University of Texas at Austin’s academic programs, Michener was also a major supporter of their on-campus museum.  James A. Michener helped the museum expand its collection, donating over 300 twentieth-century American paintings to the institution.  Michener also provided financial support to build a new museum complex in 1994 (Mangan, 2002).  Through these endowments, Michener helped the Blanton Museum become one of the foremost university art museums in the United States. 

Michener provided ongoing support for students at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop by funding several fellowships.  In 1981, he donated funds to create the Michener Fellowship.  He later expanded his contributions to help establish the Paul Engle Fellowship for graduate students and the Michener-Copernicus Fellowship for post-graduate students (Chronicle of Higher Education, 1991). 

James A. Michener made many donations to his alma mater over the course of his life.  His 1970 donation supported the Black Cultural Center by funding the renovation of a campus building in order to provide a permanent space for the center (Kimmel, 2013).  In 1984, Michener donated additional funds to support faculty fellowships, computers, and a writing program (Nicklin, 1991).  Additionally, Michener left Swarthmore College the royalties and copyrights to 43 books, providing the college with ongoing financial support after his death (Nicklin, 1993). 

 James A. Michener served as a visiting writer at the University of Miami from 1986-1989.  During this time, he wrote Caribbean and spoke frequently as a guest in writing classes.  In 1990, he donated funds to the University of Miami to create the Michener Fellowship for Creative writing, which provides graduate students with a full tuition waver and stipend while working towards their Master of Fine Arts (Nicklin, 1993).  

In the mid-1980s, Michener lived on the campus of Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, Alaska while researching his 1988 novel Alaska.  In the late 1980’s Michener made several donations to the small, private college to support scholarships and university operations (Nicklin, 1993).  

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division