Central Michigan University_‘I know what I give is appreciated’ Alum’s love for CMU is evident across campus[센트럴미시건대학교]

Central Michigan University_‘I know what I give is appreciated’ Alum’s love for CMU is evident across campus[센트럴미시건대학교]

When John Kulhavi was a CMU student, he worked three to five jobs to pay for school and lived on $10 a week.

Half of his budget went to a woman who rented him an old Army cot on her porch. He ate a lot of hot dogs and boxes of macaroni and cheese – “I could buy them for 19 cents,” he recalls.

Now the successful head of a wealth management team at Merrill Lynch, Kulhavi, ’65, has transformed CMU’s campus in dozens of ways through his generosity.

You can see how the money he’s given has helped in the neuroscience program, ROTC, athletics and more.

A residence hall in the Towers bears his name. And the university’s 5,300-seat signature events center is now called the John G. Kulhavi Events Center because he led its $21 million fundraising campaign.

“People ask me all the time, ‘What do you have to do to get your name on a building?’ “ Kulhavi says. “If you hang around here long enough, they’ll name a building after you.”

He’s modest.

“I love the university,” Kulhavi says simply.

Bob Martin, CMU’s vice president for advancement, says he wishes he could clone Kulhavi: “He’s one of the most giving people I’ve ever met.”

When university officials try to honor him for his generosity, Kulhavi humbly brushes it off, Martin says. No fuss, he insists.

And when he hears a program is struggling, he helps.

A retired Army brigadier general, Kulhavi gives generously to CMU’s ROTC program, where he began his military career. He flew helicopters in Vietnam and earned the Purple Heart, among other prestigious awards.

“He takes his giving very seriously,” Martin says. “And he encourages others to give. He tells people to give from their heart, not their heads.”

Kulhavi has a folder stuffed with messages from ROTC students thanking him for their scholarships.

“I know what I give is appreciated,” he says.

While his influence on campus is obvious, he says his proudest contribution is the ROTC monument in front of Finch Fieldhouse. It replaced a much smaller one.

“The kids in ROTC are going on to serve their country,” he says. “They deserve some recognition.”

Kulhavi gives just as generously of his time and talent.

He’s been on the CMU Advancement Board since 1997 and is a former Board of Trustees member and chair. He’s also served on countless committees and won several alumni awards.

“We talk often about Central’s core values – respect, integrity, honesty,” says CMU President George E. Ross. “It’s how John lives his life.”

Jeff Seeley, ’82, says Kulhavi is as generous a friend as he is a donor. Kulhavi often invites friends to his northern Michigan cabin, where they can ride his tilt-a-whirl.

“It was his favorite ride as a kid, so he bought one,” Seeley says. “He absolutely loves to have fun. More than anything, John wants people to have a smile on their face. And his love of CMU goes truly to the core.”

“I’ve been very blessed in my life,” Kulhavi says. “If every person with any measure of success gave back, it would be a much better world.”