Alaine Weiss credits her time as an undergraduate at Michigan State University as one of the most impactful experiences in her life and her years in East Lansing among her most treasured memories. But the road to becoming a Spartan was difficult, having lost both her parents due to extended illnesses when she was just 11 years old. Were it not for the financial aid she received, the 1972 MSU graduate says she may have not been able to earn her B.A. in English.

“Those seven years after my parents passed away were really rough. I have five siblings and we were all raised by different families within our constellation of aunts and uncles. My educational future was uncertain,” Weiss said. “By the time I graduated from high school, I had no realistic idea of how I would pay for college. But I received a good financial aid package from MSU, which was really important to me. That had a lot to do with why I chose Michigan State.”

Now after much success in their careers, Weiss and her husband, John, are paying it forward in a big way with a legacy gift to support future generations of MSU students who lack the traditional family support and who may be struggling financially, and also to help students who wish to study abroad but can’t afford to do so.

“Our careers were rewarding, and we have resources that we would like to share with people who could really use some support,” Alaine Weiss said. “I know there are many students out there who are struggling because they don’t have that traditional family support and I know from my own experience how much financial aid made a difference.”

“Alaine’s and John’s gift is a beautiful example of how Spartans pay their gratitude forward to help future generations experience the transformative power of an MSU education.”

Christopher P. Long, Dean of the College of Arts & Letters

The gift from Alaine and John Weiss will create two scholarships for undergraduate students in MSU’s College of Arts & Letters:

• Henry and Dolores Walczak Memorial Scholarship in honor of Alaine’s parents, which will support students who were raised in foster or kinship care or who have experienced homelessness and are academically qualified to attend the university but are at risk because they are unable to cover all their expenses.
• Alaine and John Weiss Scholarship for Study Abroad for students who wish to study abroad but lack the financial means required.

“Alaine’s and John’s gift is a beautiful example of how Spartans pay their gratitude forward to help future generations experience the transformative power of an MSU education,” said Christopher P. Long, Dean of the College of Arts & Letters and Dean of the Honors College. “Alaine’s is a story of resilience and passion, and this gift will have an enduring impact on our College and our students. We are grateful for their generosity and commitment.”

Henry and Dolores Walczak Memorial Scholarship

The Henry and Dolores Walczak Memorial Scholarship was established in honor of Alaine’s parents who valued their children’s education and set high expectations for their futures.

“I know education was important to my parents, neither of whom attended college,” Alaine Weiss said. “My dad had a blue-collar job working for General Motors. It paid well, but there were six kids. And out of that budget, my parents managed to pay for tuition for us to go to a private school because they valued our education. I have an older brother who was in his freshman year of college when we lost our parents and I think there was an expectation that we all would go on to college.”

And go on to college Alaine Weiss did. She not only has a B.A. in English but subsequently earned an MBA from Indiana University and had a long career in human resources management. Later, she returned to school to earn an M.S. in Counseling from California State University, Long Beach, and spent the last portion of her career counseling undergraduate and graduate students.

“MSU gave me the foundation for the career I have had. It enabled me to get my first jobs and to go on to earn two graduate degrees and enjoy a rich and varied career that allowed me to make meaningful contributions.”

Alaine Weiss

“I know that MSU gave me the foundation for the career I have had,” she said. “It enabled me to get my first jobs and to go on to earn two graduate degrees and enjoy a rich and varied career that allowed me to make meaningful contributions.

John Weiss, B.A. 1975 and J.D. 1979 University of Southern California, also benefitted greatly from the opportunities his education created for him and it was the scholarship he received that made it possible for him to complete his undergraduate degree, which also allowed him to undertake graduate studies.

“My family faced some challenges as I was starting college and I needed a scholarship to stay at USC. The scholarship made it possible for me to keep going and to stay with what I was doing,” he said. “I want to see people from different backgrounds get the advantage of the kind of education we’ve had in order to support their development and to ultimately help them contribute to society and the institutions they will become involved with.

“Education opens up all kinds of possibilities. It enables human potential to be realized. The leverage gained from a scholarship is huge. It enables the completion of a degree, which can be life-changing for students with financial need.”

Alaine and John Weiss Scholarship for Study Abroad

When Alaine Weiss began her college education, she knew she wanted to study languages. She started as a Russian major and later changed her major to French but struggled conversationally with the language. She saw other students excel after having studied abroad in France and having that language immersion experience. However, she couldn’t afford the cost of a study abroad program, and when she felt she couldn’t overcome this barrier, she changed her major to English.  

Later in her career, she worked in International HR Management, a job that took her around the world. She credits her education at MSU with nurturing her deep curiosity about the wider world and the intellectual mindset required to work effectively across cultures.

John Weiss also traveled globally for his work supporting international operations. Through their work and travels outside the United States, Alaine and John Weiss say they gained respect for the wisdom that exists within each culture and the value of applying lessons learned across cultures. They also gained a deeper understanding of their own culture by seeing it from an external perspective.

Recognizing the value of time spent exploring other cultures and broadening perspectives, they established the Alaine and John Weiss Scholarship for Study Abroad to provide students who have financial need with the opportunity to participate in study abroad programs.

“The leverage gained from a scholarship is huge. It enables the completion of a degree, which can be life-changing for students with financial need.”

John Weiss

Alaine Weiss reflected with fondness on the first time she went abroad: “I came back to the United States and saw my own country differently. And with each new country, I became more aware of how the world operated outside the U.S. It really made me look at my world differently and to see myself, not just as a citizen of this country, but to understand how we exist in the larger world. That global awareness is a real eye-opener. If students have that, it can help them become better professionals and citizens.”

First Scholarship Awarded

The first scholarship from the money gifted by Alaine and John Weiss was disbursed in the Fall 2023 semester. The Henry and Dolores Walczak Memorial Scholarship and Alaine and John Weiss Scholarship for Study Abroad will continue to aid and support MSU College of Arts & Letters students for generations to come.

“I don’t know if there is anything else we can do that is more strategic than supporting the next generation,” Alaine Weiss said. “I’d like to see a continuing line of graduates who have taken advantage of educational opportunities to lay a foundation that will enable them to live their best lives and make a contribution that otherwise might not have happened. We want to be able to see that happen year after year.”

Written by Kim Popiolek

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