Because of their devotion to Michigan State University and their beloved miniature Schnauzers, Donald R. Myers and William E. Dunlap established an Endowed Chair in Canine Health in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. Their goal was simple: to help Michigan State University and to help dogs. How this would be accomplished was left to their friends in the College to determine.

Their endowment supports high-quality, trend-setting research, scholarship, and graduate student education that will advance knowledge and enhance the health of dogs. In addition to establishing a world-class research program in canine health, the College also envisions the Meyers-Dunlap Chair to be a research mentor to faculty and a resource for development of other departmental and college research programs.

Two great pleasures for Myers (MSU ’50) and Dunlap were their dogs and MSU. Often, they were seen with their Miniature Schnauzers at MSU football games. They determined that an endowment was a way for them to support MSU and to help advance the medical care of dogs. Curtis Probst, professor emeritus for the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, was instrumental in facilitating this gift, which was established in 1999. Dunlap passed away in 2003, and Myers died in 2008.

In addition to this endowment, the couple also made a gift to the College’s Comparative Oncology Center. The generosity of people like Myers and Dunlap helps make possible the College’s valuable work in veterinary medicine and research. Through their gifts to the College, Myers and Dunlap have ensured that the legacy of their commitment to their companion dogs lives on.