Albany Law School Exceeds Campaign Goal Early

Total giving to Albany Law School’s We Rise Together campaign has reached nearly $32 million, eclipsing the $30 million goal four months early.

We Rise Together: The Campaign for Albany Law School launched on January 17, 2019 when President and Dean Alicia Ouellette ’94 announced an anonymous, but transformational, $15 million gift to endow The Justice Center at Albany Law School. The gift is one of the largest ever to a law school. 

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, our campaign chair and vice chairs, and the entire Albany Law School community, I thank the nearly 3,000 donors who have made this campaign such a success,” Ouellette said. “The campaign has strengthened our law school and we have done this together during a challenging year.” 

“This is a significant milestone for the campaign,” said Jeffrey Schanz, vice president for institutional advancement and chief of staff. “Fundraising during a pandemic was challenging, but this success is a testament to the impact Albany Law has on its alumni and our community.”

The Law School has raised an additional $17 million since the launch and over $7.6 million has been added to the Law School endowment which now stands at $81 million. 

In addition to the initial $15 million gift, contributions have included:

• A $1.8 million anonymous gift to support student scholarship
• A $1 million gift to establish a fund for innovation and entrepreneurship
• Significant growth in giving to the annual fund which is now $1.6 million annually
• Funding for 10 new scholarships and endowed funds
• Gifts to create a new Barrister Student Scholarship Program
• A $250,000 endowment to establish a Women’s Leadership Initiative
• Growth in support for the Helen Wilkinson Student Emergency Fund which has been used for COVID-19-related student relief
• Funding to create a new student wellness program

The Law School will continue to count gifts toward the campaign total through June 30, 2021 when it is scheduled to officially close.