UNLV’s law school awaits record donation

Jace Radke

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1998 | 11:11 a.m.

The William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV will fatten its coffers after a charitable gift totaling over $10 million is accepted at a press conference tomorrow.

The exact amount of the gift will not be announced until the 4 p.m. press conference, but UNLV spokesman Tom Flagg said it will be the biggest gift that the university has ever accepted.

"There was $15 million donated for the the Lied Library," Flagg said. "About $10 million of that was donated in one lump sum, and that was probably the biggest single donation we've had."

The donator will also not be named until tomorrow's announcement, but he is a prominent Southern Nevada businessman and philanthropist, Flagg said.

Law School Dean Richard Morgan said that the money will be used to continue to build the school which became the first state-supported law school to open in the last 20 years.

"We haven't firmed up the plans completely as to what the money will be used for, but it will go toward enhancing the faculty and student body," Morgan said. "Some could be used for salary supplements and scholarships."

The school, which has an enrollment of 140 students being taught be 11 professors, was funded through $3.6 million in state money and a $5 million donation from Boyd. An additional $700,000 was added to the school's operating budget, thanks to an estate tax windfall.

"We weren't surprised by this gift because of the support that we've got from other pillars in the community, like Bill Boyd," Morgan said. "That support is one of the things that made me confident that this law school can grow."

In three years, the annual budget for the law school will be $7 million, which Morgan says is not enough to build the quality of law school he wants. So one of his tasks is to create endowments to supplement the budget.

"This has been a phenomenally strong start up for a law school," Morgan said. "We've been very happy with the support and we hope this will be the first in a long line of gifts."