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Caring MSUCOM Staff

by Pat Grauer

Have you heard the old story about the two men interrupted at work one day? Asked what he was doing, one answered that he was digging a hole. The second, however, replied that he was building a cathedral.

Christine VanDeuren’s vision of her job is of the cathedral-building variety. Development assistant at MSUCOM, she works with Sharon Snyder, director of development, to ensure that the donation process to the college is as smooth, easy and efficient as possible.

“My favorite part of the job is to see how happy people are when they make their dreams come true through their philanthropy,” she says, providing a breadth of perception that is reflected in the product. She doesn’t just work with computers and lists and letters and phone calls. She’s working with people – people with dreams who have toiled hard to develop the resources to make them a reality.

She began her career at the university in 1996, working for the MSU Foundation/Planned Giving and the Major Gifts units at University Development before coming to MSUCOM in 1999. Raised in Lansing, she received her B.A. in business management from Northwood University.

In her position she handles a multitude of tasks, including maintaining records, sending out acknowledgment letters, handling deposits and compiling reports.

Outside the office Ms. VanDeuren enjoys her family, bike riding, scrapbooking, gardening at their new Williamston home, and water aerobics.

What’s her message to those considering donations to MSUCOM? “Every dollar counts,” she says. “Every donation helps to fulfill the dreams of a future doctor."