Berkshire Hathaway Official Pledges $110-Million to U. of Michigan

Charles Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, pledged $110-million to help graduate students at the University of Michigan, the university announced today

Mary Sue Coleman, the university’s president, said he earmarked a chunk of the money to build a housing complex so graduate students from different disciplines could live together and avoid the isolation common to graduate-student life.

The gift follows a 2011 donation of $20-million to renovate a housing complex at the university’s law school.

Mr. Munger attended Michigan in the 1940s but did not graduate. He ultimately earned a degree from Harvard Law School in 1948.

$50-Million for Writing Program

This is the second multimillion-dollar gift the University of Michigan has announced this year. Last month, Helen Zell, wife of the investor Sam Zell, gave $50-million to the institution’s graduate writing program through her family’s foundation.

The Michigan gift is the fourth biggest private donation announced this year, according to The Chronicle’s database of gifts of $1-million or more. Six of the 10 biggest donations this year have gone to universities, including a $350-million gift to the Johns Hopkins University by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.