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The Law Firm Challenge: The South Texas Law Firm Challenge was created to promote continued excellence in legal education at South Texas College of Law. The goal of the Law Firm Challenge is to achieve 100 percent participation in giving to the college by South Texas alumni at each law firm, corporate legal department, and law office throughout the United States that employs three or more alums. The challenge will run from September 1 to August 31 each year. The program was initiated in the fall of 2007 by Mike Hays ’74, managing partner of Hays, McConn, Rice & Pickering. Hays encouraged each South Texas College of Law graduate at Hays McConn to make a gift to the college in any amount during the 2007–2008 academic year. Hays, who is currently South Texas Board chairman, wanted his firm to be the first to achieve 100 percent participation in giving to the college. Shannon Ramirez ’95, a Hays, McConn shareholder and former South Texas noted, “We all recognize that law schools are judged not only by the quality of their curriculum, faculty, and students, but also by the loyalty of their alumni.” This is evidenced by the fact that among groups having an impact on law schools—including their accrediting body, the ABA; foundations and corporations that make grants to them; and publications such as U.S. News and World Report that rank them—alumni giving is viewed as a measure of graduates’ satisfaction with their alma maters. “Giving to South Texas,” says David V. Wilson II ’93, also a Hays McConn shareholder and former advocate, “is a way for alumni to help build the college’s reputation.” Any law firm, corporate legal department, or law office that employs three or more South Texas alumni is eligible to participate in the South Texas Law Firm Challenge. Gifts in any amount may be made by alumni to the college’s Annual Fund or any other gift initiative of the donor’s choice. Participating organizations are divided into the following three groups, based on the number of South Texas alumni they employ: Group I: 3–5 alumni South Texas will recognize in the alumni magazine all individuals and organizations from each of the above three groups that participate in the Law Firm Challenge. Law firms, corporate legal departments, and law offices that achieve 100 percent alumni giving to South Texas will be recognized as well by having their organization’s name displayed on a special section of the college’s Partners in Excellence donor wall, and in a special section of the Annual Report to Donors. To participate in the South Texas Law Firm Challenge, which will be held this academic year from September 1, 2008, to August 31, 2009, please contact Alice Morris, assistant director of Development, at 713-646-1796 or amorris@stcl.edu. Click here to track the progress of participating organizations.
Thank you for considering a gift to the South Texas College of Law Annual Fund and enhancing your connection with the law school. In addition to the direct ways your gift influences the lives of those in the College community, your participation in the Annual Fund is an important indication to prospective students and their families that South Texas alumni stand behind the law school and the exemplary education that it provides. Recognition and Giving Societies: Gifts of any amount are appreciated and make a tangible difference in the programs and reputation of South Texas College of Law. All donors to the college between September 1 and August 31 each year are recognized in the Annual Report to Donors. The Partners in Excellence Donor Wall, prominently located in the front hallway of the law school, displays for one year the names of those who contribute $250 or more by August 31. Listed below are levels of giving available for you to choose from.
The Spurgeon Bell Fellows Society is the law school’s elite donor society, whose yearlong membership is established with a gift of at least $1,000. Bell Society Fellows and their guests are invited to an annual dinner, hosted by the South Texas College of Law Board of Directors, to celebrate their generosity. The Annual Fund year begins September 1 and ends August 31. To make a gift now, click here, or to learn how you can join us in our mission, please contact Alice Morris, Assistant Director of Development, at 713-646-1796. Endowments Endowments are permanent funds that recognize the donor or someone the donor wishes to honor in perpetuity. They provide South Texas College of Law with a continuing source of support for faculty chairs, professorships, scholarships, awards, and other programs. Endowments are established through a formal agreement process. Please contact Kim Parker, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, at 713-646-1803 for more information. Faculty Chairs and Professorships Endowments supporting faculty chairs and professorship enable outstanding professor to pursue new areas of research and innovative teaching methods. These types of endowments help South Texas attract and retain the finest faculty members. A select number of South Texas faculty members who have achieved excellence in teaching and legal scholarship are honored by the College with distinguished professorships. These professorships, as well as research professorships, are established by South Texas alumni and friends through endowment gifts. Four distinguished professorships and three research professorships have been established to date:
The establishment of professorships by South Texas alumni and friends signifies their commitment to the College’s future academic growth. Scholarships Scholarships enable South Texas College of Law to attract to a talented and diverse body of students. The College currently maintains 60 named scholarships and awards, many of which are endowed. When establishing a scholarship, a donor may determine any special terms and conditions and help designate the criteria for how the scholarship fund will be awarded, such as financial need and academic merit. It takes a minimum of $10,000 to establish an endowed scholarship, which could be fully funded upon inception or paid out over a designated period of time, with additional contributions made at any time thereafter. Endowed scholarship awards are made available from interest income earned and based on a spending rate determined annually by the South Texas College of Law Board of Directors. For a list of named scholarships and awards, click here. Priority Programs Centers of Excellence The South Texas Centers of Excellence, listed below, offer specialized programs and resources for students, faculty, and the local, national, and international legal community. Through the achievements of our longest operating center, the Advocacy Program, South Texas continually ranks among the top ten in trial advocacy in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools. All of our Centers of Excellence help the College attract top students and faculty. We invite you to talk with our Office of Development and Alumni Relations, as well as our center directors, to determine how your gift can make the most meaningful impact on these initiatives. For more information on the centers, please click on the links below. Frank Evans Center for Conflict Resolution Advocacy Program Corporate Compliance Center Transactional Practice Center For more information on how you can support the Centers of Excellence, please contract Alice Morris, Assistant Director of Development, at 713-646-1796 or amorris@stcl.edu.
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The LEAD Fund: During the 2007 spring semester, the third-year class, represented by Brian Rhodes ‘07, Matt Laudone ‘07, and Emily Skrehot ‘07, initiated a recurring class gift program at South Texas College of Law by establishing the Legal Eagle Alumni Donation (LEAD) Fund. The LEAD Fund, which is part of the College’s Annual Fund, is the means by which third-year classes make a class gift to South Texas, and offers an opportunity for all classes to leave their mark on the law school before they graduate. The LEAD Fund, which is administered by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, is designed to promote student leadership and young alumni involvement. In September 2007, the Class of 2007 presented the College with the inaugural LEAD Fund gift. Future classes are following in their footsteps by creating their class gifts through the LEAD Fund.
