Campaign Oregon - University of Oregon

School of Law

General support

Nearly $12 million in campaign gifts enabled the law school to nearly double its endowment, from $10 million to $19 million.
Annual Fund numbers in recent years have tripled, from about $100,000 a year to $300,000 a year; the participation rate went from 8 percent to 20 percent.

Faculty support

$3.2 million increase in faculty support, including four new endowed faculty positions.
A lead gift from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde for an Oregon Tribes Professorship will help secure the UO School of Law’s legacy as a national leader in federal Indian and tribal law. The Oregon Tribes Professorship will fund a professor who, in addition to teaching and research, will build stronger ties with Oregon and Pacific Northwest tribes. The professorship will also help attract and retain Native American law students and faculty members knowledgeable about this field of law.

Student support

More than $3 million.
Alice Plymell J.D. ’63, a Eugene attorney with cerebral palsy, established the Wade and Elsie Marler Plymell Scholarship for disabled law students in honor of her parents.
Before her death in 2004, Jackie Romm, J.D. ’81, a prominent Eugene domestic relations and civil rights lawyer, established a $200,000 endowment to fund the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), which helps UO law graduates in public interest jobs repay their student loans.

Program support

$4.2 million.
A $460,000 gift from Pat and Stephanie Kilkenny established a new interdisciplinary program housed in the law school. "Competition Not Conflict," part of the school's Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center, promotes sports as a healthy alternative to conflict and a vehicle to teach dispute resolution skills. The program offers workshops and creates learning materials for youth coaches and referees. Athletes learn about conflict resolution skills, then visit students in their communities. Future activities may include symposia, research projects, and initiatives with the NCAA.
The UO’s Child Advocacy Project promotes the welfare of children while giving law students hands-on experience. The project started in 2005, thanks to a $250,000 gift from Duncan Campbell, founder and chairman of the Campbell Group and founder of Friends of the Children. The project pursues systemic legal change to protect children’s relationships with nurturing adults. The project sponsors an annual conference, promotes judicial reform, and provides much-needed help for child advocacy lawyers. Each year, two or three law students are chosen as Campbell Child Advocacy Fellows. They receive stipends, conduct research, and organize projects.