Law school got $43 million in donations last year
Eric Platt
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: University
The NYU School of Law received more than $43 million in donations in the 2006-2007 fiscal year, finishing second only to Harvard Law School and raking in almost double the amount Columbia Law School collected.
The law school has raised $285,657,449 through Jan. 31, 2008 since 2002. With additional verbal commitments and gifts, the total comes to about $330 million.
The school expects to increase that amount to $400 million by December 2009.
The NYU law school is also part of the Campaign for NYU, the $2.5 billion capital campaign that is meant to strengthen faculty recruitment, financial aid and the total endowment of the university as a whole.
Jeannie Forrest, associate dean for development and alumni relations of the law school, said the funds raised in 2006-2007 will help the school immensely.
"We can support our extensive programs for students who want to pursue public service careers, for students who come from backgrounds of economic disadvantage [and] for students who will lead at the confluence of law and business," she said. "We also seek to build the leading faculty among our top schools in important areas."
According to Forrest, the law school had an alumni donation rate of about 24 percent last year, meaning that 24 percent of alumni donated to the school. NYU as a whole averaged less than half of that with an 11 percent rate for the year.
So far, seven donors have given over $10 million alone to the school, Forrest said.
Brandon Adoni, a Stern senior and accepted student to the NYU law school, said he understood the importance of building up the endowment for the graduate school.
"The way I see endowment is it's kind of like an insurance policy," he said. "It gives the university an additional way to recruit professors, give scholarships and expand the campus, which is hard for us, beyond tuition."
Forrest said that at the inception of the campaign, the law school took a "brick and mortar" approach, focusing its funds on building renovation and facility maintenance.
However, now that it is moving into the final stages, the school is looking to focus on recruiting top faculty and students.
"I think the number one thing for the law school is going to be professors," Adoni said. "When they sent me my acceptance letter, one of the things the dean boasted about was the faculty recruitment. It was impressive."
Forrest said he was enthusiastic about how far the campaign has come and what it can eventually mean for the law school.
"I fundraise for what I personally consider a transformative cause," she said. "If the rule of law is in the hands of ethical and well-trained lawyers, we can change the world in powerful and positive ways. That thought sustains my motivation and our donors' support for NYU's school of law."
Eric Platt is a deputy university editor.
E-mail him at eplatt@nyunews.com.
The law school has raised $285,657,449 through Jan. 31, 2008 since 2002. With additional verbal commitments and gifts, the total comes to about $330 million.
The school expects to increase that amount to $400 million by December 2009.
The NYU law school is also part of the Campaign for NYU, the $2.5 billion capital campaign that is meant to strengthen faculty recruitment, financial aid and the total endowment of the university as a whole.
Jeannie Forrest, associate dean for development and alumni relations of the law school, said the funds raised in 2006-2007 will help the school immensely.
"We can support our extensive programs for students who want to pursue public service careers, for students who come from backgrounds of economic disadvantage [and] for students who will lead at the confluence of law and business," she said. "We also seek to build the leading faculty among our top schools in important areas."
According to Forrest, the law school had an alumni donation rate of about 24 percent last year, meaning that 24 percent of alumni donated to the school. NYU as a whole averaged less than half of that with an 11 percent rate for the year.
So far, seven donors have given over $10 million alone to the school, Forrest said.
Brandon Adoni, a Stern senior and accepted student to the NYU law school, said he understood the importance of building up the endowment for the graduate school.
"The way I see endowment is it's kind of like an insurance policy," he said. "It gives the university an additional way to recruit professors, give scholarships and expand the campus, which is hard for us, beyond tuition."
Forrest said that at the inception of the campaign, the law school took a "brick and mortar" approach, focusing its funds on building renovation and facility maintenance.
However, now that it is moving into the final stages, the school is looking to focus on recruiting top faculty and students.
"I think the number one thing for the law school is going to be professors," Adoni said. "When they sent me my acceptance letter, one of the things the dean boasted about was the faculty recruitment. It was impressive."
Forrest said he was enthusiastic about how far the campaign has come and what it can eventually mean for the law school.
"I fundraise for what I personally consider a transformative cause," she said. "If the rule of law is in the hands of ethical and well-trained lawyers, we can change the world in powerful and positive ways. That thought sustains my motivation and our donors' support for NYU's school of law."
Eric Platt is a deputy university editor.
E-mail him at eplatt@nyunews.com.
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