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Alumni & Advancement

Building Connections

Building Connections: The Campaign for the Valparaiso University School of Law

In July of 2002, the law school embarked on its first comprehensive campaign, Building Connections: The Campaign for the Valparaiso University School of Law. The campaign's priorities were to strengthen the school's four foundations: faculty, students, programs, and facilities. The campaign was completed on June 30, 2005 and, thanks to the generous support of alumni and friends surpassed its goal of $10 million:

    Major Gifts and Pledges - $5,804,701
    Planned and Estate Gift Commitments - $2,887,375
    Annual Fund - $1,433,567
    Campaign Total - $10,125,643

Endowed Faculty Chairs

Three endowed faculty chairs were established during the campaign: the Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Chair in Law, the Herbert F. Stride Chair in Law, and the Michael and Dianne Swygert Law Faculty Fellows Program. Endowed chairs support the work of our most critical asset - law school faculty.

Students and Programs

Through Building Connections, the law school has increased and improved educational programs and services for students, including career planning, legal research and writing, and clinics. These and other programs provide enhanced educational value for students and support the School of Law¹s distinctive, personalized approach to legal education.

Gifts to the campaign also created new student scholarships. These scholarships support a broad array of students and include diverse selection criteria, including: professional and ethical responsibility, academic achievement, and financial need. Scholarship resources are essential to building strong classes and reducing student indebtedness, which in turn enables more students to seek public service and interest positions after graduation.

Facilities

Building Connections launched the early initiative to reconstruct Heritage Hall. To learn more about this ongoing fundraising initiative, click here. Heritage Hall is the oldest remaining building from the original 19th century Valparaiso University campus. Currently, Heritage Hall houses the law clinic, where students supervised by faculty represent indigent clients in a variety of practices. Students gain hands-on, practical experience while serving an under-served constituency.