Boyd donation to UNLV set

Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005 | 9:43 a.m.

William S. Boyd, chairman and chief executive of the Boyd Gaming Corp., plans to announce one of the largest donations to UNLV in the institution's history on Friday, the university's spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Boyd and university officials are keeping the amount secret until the official announcement at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the UNLV Foundation building.

State law does not allow a university to release donor information without the donor's permission, and Boyd wants to make the announcement himself Friday, spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said.

The money will go to the UNLV School of Law that already bears his name, Grey said. He donated the original $5 million to start the school in 1997. Boyd has also made substantial donations to the Harrah Hotel College at UNLV.

"Bill Boyd has a family and personal legacy of supporting higher education and UNLV," Grey said.

The largest known donation to the law school is a $29 million pledge from university system Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers. Also, Rogers and the Greenspun family, owners of the Las Vegas Sun, have each pledged $25 million toward the school as part of a major capital campaign at UNLV.

The Greenspuns' donation is already earmarked for the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, with $16 million going toward the construction of a new building and $9 million for programs at the college.