May 6, 2008 8:00 AM

$100M campaign takes off

The School of Law recently launched the largest campaign in its history to raise $100 million to increase student scholarships, attract and retain faculty, and support centers and institutes that inform law and public policy.

About 150 faculty, staff, alumni, donors, community leaders and the school's Board of Advisors attended the Campaign Kickoff reception and dinner April 29 at the Chancellor's Residence. Chancellor Gene Block, Dean Michael H. Schill and campaign chairman Kenneth Ziffren, a leading entertainment lawyer, alumnus and adjunct faculty member, addressed the gathering.

"Tonight, we mark an extraordinary milestone for the UCLA School of Law — the public launch of the largest fundraising effort in the school's history," Chancellor Block said. He described the campaign as "a historic moment in time when we can accelerate the law school's trajectory as one of the world's truly great schools of law."

Dean Schill thanked those who came to celebrate the start of the campaign, which will continue until December 2012. "The people in this room represent some of our most important volunteers, generous donors, highest-achieving students, dedicated staff and top-notch faculty," he said. "Now is the time for us to come together to honor our legacy, maximize the present and protect our future."

Founded in 1949, the UCLA School of Law is the youngest of the nation's top 20 law schools and has one of the smallest endowments.

"There is intense competition among law schools for the best and most diverse students and for world-class faculty," explained Schill in a statement announcing the campaign. "The endowment raised through this campaign will enable us to compete more effectively against older, better financed and mostly private law schools."

With declining state funds now accounting for only 37% of the school's resources compared to 75% a decade ago, Schill said the school will have to rely increasingly on private resources to maintain its excellence and grow its programs. "Nevertheless, we will not under any circumstances forget that we are a law school dedicated to the public interest," the dean said. "From the moment we were founded, we have stood for the proposition that any student of merit could gain a law degree regardless of his or her economic wherewithal. We remain committed to this principle, and this campaign will enable us to fulfill this commitment."

Ziffren, who graduated from the law school in 1965, recalled that when he went to UCLA, his total fees amounted to about $200 a year, compared to today's fees, which will likely exceed $31,000 next year.

"My classmates and I received the best education imaginable at UCLA, and we need to give back to ensure that the next generation of students has similar opportunities. We must raise endowments to support all aspects of the school, including scholarships."

The law school has already received several leadership gifts as part of an early phase of the campaign, including: $6 million from Joanne and Michael T. Masin and the Masin Family Foundation to support the school's highest priorities and to establish the Masin Scholars program;

$5 million from Rae and Dan A. Emmett and their family to establish the nation's first law school center focused on issues involving climate change, the Emmett Center on Climate Change and the Environment;

$5 million from Jane and David J. Epstein to establish the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy and the Jane Epstein Scholarships for Educational Law and Policy;

Charles R. (Chuck) Williams increased leadership giving to further enhance the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, bringing that endowment to more than $10 million.

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