Providing for their FUTURE - Levin College of Law - University of ...

ANNUAL FUNDCOUNCIL PRESIDENTMESSAGEDear Fellow Alumni:I wish to thank each of you who supportedour law school during the 2001-02 fiscal year,as well as those of you on board already in ’02-03 (you’ll be listed in the next Annual Report).In light of our state and national economicconditions – and in light of UF’s questto provide quality plus affordability in legaleducation – I think we all are increasinglyaware of the need for the private sector todo its part for “publicly assisted” education.Our contributions to the Annual Fundsupplement State funding and make possiblevaried opportunities for students.As you can see throughout this Report,contributions from alumni, friends andlaw firms makethe differencein the academicquality andeducationalenvironmentat our lawschool. All giftsare important;any amount isappreciated andbeneficial.I’m happyCouncil President Johnson (left)honors Immediate Past PresidentBruce Harris ’93, Orlando.to report that alumni participation rateincreased from 10 percent to 12 percent in2001-02, and we hope to add several morepercentage points by the end of ’02-03.Taking the lead in that area are recent graduatingclasses that revived the “GraduatingClass Gift” tradition (see page 4). The LawReview students also are taking a leadershiprole by pledging their support to endow theReview (see page 11).Your Alumni Council is working tobroaden our base of support through appealsto classmates, and by encouraging firms withtwo or more Gators to achieve 100 percentparticipation through the Law Firm GivingProgram. We also need more individuals andfirms to sponsor Book Awards. Please participatewhen asked. If you are celebrating your5th, 10th or 25th reunion this April, pleasecome back to campus and support yourReunion Class Gift.Thanks for your involvement!Kenneth R. Johnson ’812002-03 Alumni Council PresidentNaplesWhat is It? Why Do We Need It?UFLaw IN COMPETITION with Top 10Annual FundParticipation, ContributionsALevin College of Law education– to be meaningful to students –is as much about varied,effective co-curricular, extracurricularprograms and organizations asit is about superb faculty andrequired courses.And when it comes to enrichmentbeyond the classroom, the Annual Fund isthe lifeblood of those co-curricular and extracurricularactivities needed to help UFLawand its students compete with their peers atlaw schools throughout the country.When it comes to Annual Fund success,the College of Law is not keeping pace withTop 10 competitors – or even with some lawschools in Florida and the Southeast.While large portions of the school’sannual budget come from State allocation,tuition and interest from its Endowment(capped annually at about 4.5-5 percent ofaccumulated interest), many programs andactivities benefitting students the most aren’tcovered by these monies. For example:Moot Court and Trial TeamsAnnual Fund contributions help pay fortraining, travel expenses and materials forUFLaw’s excellent teams to participate inprestigious state, regional and national competitionseach semester against squads fromFlorida, Southeast and Top Tier law schools.Pro Bono WorkAnnual Fund contributions help matchfunds provided by various entities to providestipends to students working in public interestorganizations or doing pro bono work.Law College CouncilAllocates Annual Fund monies todeserving law student organizations to helpdefray symposia and conference costsincluding speakers’ fees, printing and otherevent costs.John Marshall Bar AssociationThe outstanding and historic lawstudent government is funded in part byAnnual Fund monies, as are the many groupsoverseen by Law College Council.Essentials ProvidedAdditional vital UFLaw elements coveredthrough Annual Fund contributions are:1. Scholarship and loan assistance2. Innovative Book Awards3. Stipends for student research assistants4. Strengthening of law library5. Support services and programs forstudents, alumni6. Funding for conferences, lectures7. Influencing national rankings andrecruitment of students and facultyEach year UFLaw needs to raise morethan $500,000 in new donor Annual Fundcontributions. Currently about 10-12percent of UFLaw’s 15,000 living alums arecontributing.Experience is an invaluable form ofinstruction, and a truly great legal educationrequires public financial support toensure a range of activities to promoteintellectual, professional and social growth.2 ANNUAL REPORT