Parents' pride leads to new undergraduate research endowment
As an expression of parental pride in their daughter, Taylor Spencer ‘83 and Martha Spencer recently established an undergraduate endowment at William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS. The Spencer Family Student Research Endowment (5618) supports students conducting field research, removing financial barriers that often prevent undergraduates from engaging in hands-on science. This generous gift honors their daughter, Erin Spencer ‘14, one of the early W&M students to earn a minor in marine sciences through the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS, in collaboration with W&M Arts & Sciences.
Originally intending to leave a gift posthumously, the Spencers reconsidered when they felt the urgency to make a more immediate impact in light of global change. “We need these students to do the research they're doing,” said Taylor. “Even more now, it's so important that they're focused on the environment and the degradation that’s happening.”
The enthusiasm among the Spencers about the endowment is palpable. “I'm thrilled for my parents, and I'm really excited for this gift,” said Erin. “Everyone is so jazzed that it's hard to get across just how excited we are.”
A positive undergraduate experience inspires generosity
Martha is effusive about the quality of education her daughter received at W&M and the Batten School & VIMS. “One of the reasons we were so strong about wanting to support undergraduate research is due to the opportunities she had, like being a Monroe Scholar, participating in the D.C. Summer Institutes [at the Washington Center] and being accepted to National Geographic grant programs. Supplementing what she was learning throughout the academic year was critical for her.”
“Going to William & Mary was the single most important thing for my career,” said Erin, who designed her own major in ecology, undergirded by the newly formed undergraduate minor in marine science. “Everything I got to do after undergrad was directly tied to something I had done at William & Mary and at VIMS.”
Since graduating, Erin has earned a master’s degree in ecology from UNC-Chapel Hill, earned a Ph.D. in biology from Florida International University, appeared on television several times for National Geographic and published two marine science children’s books. She currently works for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Unsurprisingly, Taylor and Martha are immensely proud of their daughter—and the appreciation is mutual. “My parents are so wonderful and so generous, and they don’t give themselves enough credit,” Erin said. “The only reason I was able to do any of this work was because they supported me. And that’s why we decided to put the money where we did. It was very important to them that this gift was intentionally applied to help give students a positive experience at VIMS, because I had such a positive experience.”
A purposeful financial commitment
Erin was instrumental in helping her parents direct the endowment fund. “The idea was to provide support for students to do summer research,” she said, “and not only add to their resumes, but also find out if they enjoy research, learn how to do research and discover the types of topics that they're interested in themselves.”
Direct support for students was incredibly important to the Spencers, having seen the positive impact of hands-on undergraduate research in Erin’s own life. “So many doors to grad school, jobs and other opportunities were opened to me because I had independent research experience as an undergrad; it set my resume apart,” said Erin. “But it costs money, and a lot of research grants aren't available to undergrads, so it can become an obstacle that cuts off many students who can’t afford to do unpaid work.”
The desire to remove those financial hurdles and make an immediate impact for undergraduate students led the Spencers to make additional pledges to the research endowment. “To start, we've committed to further contributing to the fund for another two years, just so VIMS can start helping students now, instead of waiting for the endowment to build up money,” said Taylor. “As far as we're concerned, this is only the start, and we will continue to give to support this endowment going forward. And it’s kind of fun to know that this is something that will outlive us, that Erin has had a hand in crafting.”
Words of encouragement
Erin’s advice for students benefiting from the endowment is clear: “Don't be afraid to fail; part of the experience is learning how to do, and how not to do, research... Ask as many questions as you can of the people around you; there is such an incredible amount of brain power between VIMS and William & Mary.”
The Spencers, soon to be honored at the annual Pathfinders Dinner, also hope that their gift inspires others to give, a process they assure was far easier than they initially predicted. “We had been warned by our financial advisor that some universities are not always willing to help structure donations the way you might want,” said Martha, “but that's not what we found with [the VIMS Advancement Office] at all. We were really, really pleased with how they worked with us to structure it in a way we were comfortable with.”
Erin also encourages others to give. “Just a little bit goes a long way. Students can do a career-changing amount of research over a summer with relatively smaller gifts. Opening that door for undergraduate students can be so impactful as they continue in the field.”
“There's no amount that's too small,” Taylor agreed. “Whatever support families can give, and particularly if it's going to help students one way or another, I think it's a great use. We're very pleased, very pleased to have done this.”