Planned Giving
Support From Every Angle
Charles and Helen Mickens
When Helen Mickens '76 and her husband, Charles, visit Kalamazoo College, she always enjoys seeing the beautiful campus and improvements over the years-including the Upjohn Library Commons and the Hicks Student Center.
She realizes these improvements have been made possible by generous donors who feel as strongly about Kalamazoo as she and her husband. By making arrangements to support Kalamazoo College in their trust, Helen says she and her husband want to ensure that K continues to be a strong and important member of the community.
Her education at K means "even more to me after being out in the world," she says. "I met people at K that changed my life, and the experiences I was exposed to will affect me all through life."
Helen majored in political science, and she speaks highly of her relationships with faculty, especially emeritus faculty member Dr. Wen Chao Chen.
Helen is a professor and associate dean at Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing. She earned her master's degree at Michigan State University before earning her law degree at Thomas Cooley. She met Charles through a K connection, and they've been married for 25 years.
Charles is the chief information officer and associate dean of innovation and technology at Thomas Cooley. Although Helen was not able to participate in the foreign study program while at K, hearing her fellow students share their experiences inspired her to travel. She and Charles have since had the opportunity to visit Canada, France, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and other countries.
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