Press Release   School of Law Officially Launches Fundraising Campaign April 2, 2007   OXFORD, Miss.—The University of Mississippi School of Law celebrated the formal launch of its fundraising campaign this week and announced that more than half of the $60 million goal already has been raised. Of the total, $50 million is slated for a new law facility, $3 million for scholarships, $4 million for the law library, $2 million for faculty support and $1 million for clinic support. During the quiet phase of the campaign, which ended with the public announcement, the school raised nearly $30 million in private funding, with $27.5 million of that slated for a new building. In addition, the state Legislature has approved $10 million in funding for the new facility, bringing the total raised to nearly $40 million. Provost Carolyn Staton said the new law center, expected to open in fall 2010, is being planned to provide state-of-the-art classrooms and space for clinics. "The new building will bring the students and faculty together and will provide more opportunities for interaction in the law school community," she said. Associate Provost Tim Hall, executive director of the campaign, said the primary need is for improved classrooms designed to facilitate contemporary legal instruction. "We are designing classes in a horseshoe shape to facilitate the kind of dialogue required in contemporary legal education," he said. An added advantage is that the present law school building is to be renovated to provide much-needed space for undergraduate classrooms in the central campus, Staton said. "The undergraduate population has increased by almost 5,000 students in the last 12 years, and we have run out of space in the academic core of the campus," she said. "Acquiring this building for general use should solve space problems for the next two decades." Staton added that initial discussions about a new facility began about five years ago, and officials began a quiet phase of the campaign in 2005. "The response has been wonderful," she said. "The legal community has really rallied." The new facility, which is to be located on Coliseum Drive, is designed to add to the aesthetic beauty of the campus with a Greek style similar to that of the Lyceum. Its spaciousness is intended to provide opportunities to expand the school's existing clinical programs, as well as the two national centers located at the law school. Law Dean Samuel M. Davis said that both the new classrooms and the new law library, another of the campaign's objectives, reflect technological changes in the legal profession. In addition, the plan is intended to enable the law school's thriving legal clinic space to grow and expand, Davis said. "Our clinics are used in a way that provides actual legal experience to students and also impresses in them an awareness of the need to provide pro bono representation throughout their careers," he said. "The clinics are our way of taking the law school classroom beyond the building, out into the community." Other campaign goals of increasing faculty support and scholarships are aimed at contributing to the law school's ability to provide quality education and recruit top students from across the country, and alumni, faculty and even students have already stepped forward to show their support, helping spur the campaign halfway toward its goal. In fact, officials have announced that faculty and staff contributions make up more than $130,000 of the total already raised. Donors attending a private dinner hosted by the law school Saturday night expressed excitement over the plans for their alma mater. Guy Mitchell, whose family takes pride in four generations of UM law graduates, said his family is one reason the UM School of Law means so much to him. "We are all appreciative of the opportunities we got and are appreciative of the opportunities that education has given us," Mitchell said. "We feel that the UM law school future is bright, and we are among many who want to be a part of it."   For more information on the School of Law Campaign, visit www.umlawcampaign.com. For more information on the School of Law, visit www.olemiss.edu/depts/law_school/. Press Release Reception honors D.C. alumni WASHINGTON, D.C. — Alumni of the UM School of Law gathered at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., in 2006 for a reception in their honor. At the event, hosted by alumnus Robert Jones, the more than 60 alumni in attendance discussed a variety of topics, including the future of the law school and the major fundraising campaign for a new facility and endowments. In March 2007, the UM School of Law officially announced the campaign, which encompasses funding for a new facility, scholarships, faculty, clinics and the law library. The new facility will be located on Coliseum Drive, and plans are to convert the current law facility to undergraduate classrooms, a move that is dually beneficial. “The move will allow us to keep undergraduates in the core of the campus, and it will give law students a place of their own,” said UM Provost Carolyn Staton. Bill Goodman, one of the co-chairs of the campaign, told alumni at the reception that his positive experience at Ole Miss is the reason for his involvement in the fundraising campaign. “When I look back at what the Ole Miss law school did for me, I know that it gave me the opportunity to have a great life,” Goodman said. Photos   Live Cam Coming Soon Live Cam progress of the new facility.   Press Release   New Law School Building Groundbreaking Ceremony   The New Law School Groundbreaking Ceremony will take place during Law Alumni Weekend 2008, Friday March 29 and Saturday, March 29, 2008 There are special activities planned for the classes of 1993, 1983, 1968, 1958 and earlier.  The class of 1960 will have its annual reunion as well. The weekend's events include: * Class Reunion Dinners * Cookout following the Groundbreaking Ceremony * Cocktail Party * Awards Day Ceremony * Lamar Order Breakfast Meeting * Legal Legacies Luncheon (50 year reunion- 1958 graduates) Press Release   Campaign Update - Bid Process   The Law School Building Campaign reached another milestone on April 24, 2008:  the university opened bids for the project and, by virtue of submitting the lowest and best bid, the project has been awarded to Yates Construction Company.  The base bid and other project costs are virtually identical to our original cost projection of $50 million. Aside from a state support of $10 million, and expected federal support of nearly $5 million, the campaign is nearing its goal of securing $35 million through private gifts.  We expect construction to begin in June and the building should be complete by the summer of 2010. The next time you are on campus we hope that you will pass by the site, across from the coliseum, to view the construction progress.  Press Release   Updated 11/25/08: Law Building Progress   The new law building is coming along. Thank you to our donors for your continued support! Press Release   Updated 04/06/09: Law Building Progress   The new law building is coming along. Thank you to our donors for your continued support!