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Law school starts raising $12-million
By JON WILSON, Times Staff Writer GULFPORT -- Stetson University College of Law, which has upgraded its campus during the past few years, has launched a $12-million fundraising campaign to bolster an academic program already highly regarded. It's the largest such drive in the law school's 102-year history, school officials say. Goals are to establish more student scholarships, attract eminent professors and strengthen existing programs, several of them in specialized areas of legal study such as elder care. Scholarships would get the biggest boost, with $6.5-million of the campaign marked to help students finance their legal education. Many will be need-based awards. Estimated tuition for the 2002-2003 school year is $22,785, according to Stetson's Web site. Currently, about $1.5-million per academic year is awarded in scholarships. The rest of the campaign, which will last through 2005, breaks down like this: $2.250-million for advancing faculty eminence; $2.250-million for academic programs; and $1-million for faculty and staff development. "This campaign is not about bricks and mortar. This campaign is about people. The direct benefactors are students," said Dotti Bressi, the law school's associate vice president for college relations. As a private school, Stetson is not automatically in line for public money like the funds Congress allocated for state schools such as the University of South Florida. Instead, the university, whose main campus is in DeLand, relies on tuition and private support to make its way. This drive is purely for the law school, where about 750 students study in full- and part-time programs. Campaign organizers are undaunted by the economy's recent dips and turns. The uncertainties so far haven't affected the drive, Bressi said. Indeed, a low-key phase of the campaign before the effort went public already has netted about $5-million, Bressi said -- nearly half the goal amount. Among the biggest gifts have been two $500,000 contributions. One was one from Leo Govoni, president of Boston Asset Management of St. Petersburg. The other was from John Staunton, a Clearwater lawyer who works with the Center for Special Needs. Govoni is considered a friend of the college, Bressi said, and Staunton is a 1997 graduate. The drive is counting on support from graduates, Bressi said. There are about 6,200. "That is our own built-in constituency," she said. "The great part about being in this area is that we have a lot of friends who are in business, in corporations and foundations, and we'll be asking for their help. You could almost say we're going to look for partners," Bressi said. A fundraising drive took place in the 1990s, when the law school built a 58,000-square-foot, $8.5-million library. It was dedicated in 1998 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Recreational facilities also have been improved recently. Expected to benefit from the current drive are five specialized areas of study, called centers for excellence. Students can choose in their second and third years of enrollment to concentrate on advocacy, elder law, health law, international law and business. "I think what will happen -- you will see the centers of excellence come to the forefront of what Stetson's doing on this campus," Bressi said. The school already enjoys a reputation for trial advocacy, having won several national championships in student litigation competition. U.S. News and World Report recently ranked Stetson No. 1 nationally for its trial advocacy program.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks Letters |
