Lico family makes largest gift in School of Social Work history

By Charlotte Hoppen and Halla Jomaa-Jouney, School of Social Work | Photos courtesy of the Licos

Driven by a deep commitment to service, compassion, and impact, especially for at-risk youth, Maureen and Jim Lico have established the Lico Family Professorship at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. The endowed professorship will recruit and support a leading social work scholar whose research and practice focus on addressing housing insecurity through innovative approaches, including advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence. The Licos’ gift is the largest lifetime donation in the school’s history and is also the first endowed faculty professorship in over 25 years. 

“Our family is honored to support this endowed professorship. Our gift is driven by a heartfelt commitment to improving the lives of others and fostering a world where everyone can thrive,” Maureen and Jim Lico said. “We believe that a deeper understanding of challenges in housing insecurity is essential to creating meaningful change that can improve lives.”

 
The Licos’ passion for housing insecurity began while supporting and volunteering at Cocoon House in Everett, Washington, an organization dedicated to serving young people experiencing homelessness. Their long-term engagement with Cocoon House grew a passion to address the root causes of housing insecurity. In addition, they both have long histories of service on nonprofit boards. Their efforts have always focused on funding work that leads to tangible, measurable impact. For the Licos, social work—where action and outcomes are central to its mission—was a natural fit. 

“We have seen firsthand how misguided policies and the incorrect allocation of resources fail to solve housing insecurity,” the Licos said. “We believe the University of Michigan, with its outstanding faculty—especially in the School of Social Work—can help solve this challenge.”

The Lico Family Professorship will advance research to develop long-lasting solutions to housing insecurity by pairing compassionate, human-centered social work with cutting-edge innovation. By embracing emerging tools, including artificial intelligence, the professorship will uncover new insights, inform policy, and create scalable interventions that both support unhoused individuals and prevent housing instability before it occurs.

“Ending homelessness begins when we see every person not as a problem to fix, but as a potential waiting to be restored, proof that dignity, hope, and opportunity can rebuild lives and communities alike,” the Licos stated when documenting their gift. “When we unite compassion with creativity, the challenge of housing insecurity transforms from an impossible burden into one of humanity’s greatest chances to prove what love in action can achieve.”

The Licos have been longtime supporters of U‑M, with philanthropic investments across multiple units, including the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where they established the Donald Thomas Lico Endowed Scholarship. They were also early supporters of Wolverine Pathways. Jim, a 1988 graduate of UM-Dearborn, currently serves as chair of the Look to Michigan Seattle Campaign Council and serves as a member of the Look to Michigan National Campaign Council, UM-Dearborn National Advisory Council, and the Ross School Advisory Board.

With this professorship, the Licos hope to inspire bold thinking, empower future leaders, and ensure that innovative, compassionate solutions reach those who need them most—turning research into action and belief into lasting impact.

Dean Beth Angell, the Phillip Fellin Collegiate Professor of Social Work, emphasized the transformative potential of the Licos’ investment.

“Social workers challenge injustice and connect people with critical resources,” Angell said. “What’s less widely recognized is that social workers are also designing solutions to society’s most urgent challenges. The Lico Family Professorship will bring new expertise to the U‑M School of Social Work faculty, and it will advance a new era of housing insecurity solutions that not only support unhoused people, but also prevent housing instability by addressing risk factors at the individual and community levels. Social Work is uniquely positioned to lead this work, and the Lico family’s generosity will help pave the way for lasting change.”

Consistently ranked the top School of Social Work in the nation for more than a decade, the U‑M School of Social Work is a global leader in advancing research, policy, and practice to address society’s most complex challenges. The School of Social Work is currently conducting a national search to recruit an expert in housing insecurity who will join the faculty as the inaugural Lico Family Professor of Social Work.