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Development & Community Relations: Giving Opportunities

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
The FIU College of Law offers a contemporary, 21 st century approach to educating lawyers that builds on the rich traditions of the past while taking into account modern perspectives. The law constantly evolves, but eternal truths about justice and the importance of law as the foundation for a free and just society remain absolute. FIU's College of Law meets the challenges of the changing needs of our complex society while instilling in our students the values which will help them seek justice for all citizens. The College of Law not only prepares students for traditional law practice, but also fosters understanding of disparate cultures and points of view.

When the College of Law of Florida International University opened in August 2002, we fulfilled the need for high-quality, affordable legal education in the nation's most ethnically and culturally diverse metropolitan area of South Florida . We are committed to training professionals representative of an increasingly diverse population who are also dedicated to serving the community by providing an array of legal services to those unable to afford legal representation.

Under the leadership of Dean Leonard Strickman, the College of Law has recruited an outstanding faculty, including several “Best Teacher of the Year” award recipients and two who held endowed professorships at their prior law schools. These experienced, respected faculty hold law degrees from Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Northwestern, Georgetown , and other prestigious institutions. They have designed a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes international and comparative law in every subject. The entering l aw students have extraordinary academic credentials for a newly established law school. As law graduates, they will be prepared for the practice of law, and at ease in a variety of cross-cultural situations and international settings.

The College of Law made spectacular progress in building a first-rate academic program which received provisional accreditation by the American Bar Association within its first three years of operation. An essential element in completing the accreditation process is completion of a new, technologically state-of-the-art law school building. This will house a law library, legal clinic, classrooms, offices, two courtrooms and a large auditorium to serve the campus and the community.

In late 2004, construction will begin on this architecturally-distinctive building, which will be completed in the summer of 2006. The support of the local community is required by the Florida legislature, which provides an incentive for support by matching all contributions to the building on a dollar for dollar basis. We are on our way to accomplishing our total goal of $5 million from private donations. Community support is critical right now to ensure that this building meets and exceeds the standards of excellence which will secure the growing reputation of the FIU College of Law, both in the region and in the world, as a source of pride for everyone. As we embrace the future, we are proud to honor the past with a range of naming opportunities. We hope to count you among our supporters.

The College of Law is designed by the internationally-prominent architect Robert A.M. Stern, Dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University . Stern has been involved in the massive renovation of New York City 's Times Square and is known for his skill at adapting historical styles to a contemporary context and at integrating buildings into their settings.

The new, 153,000-square-foot College of Law building will be an architectural landmark, further enhancing the prestige of Florida International University and the entire region of which FIU is a part. Its open, airy design incorporates two spacious interior courtyards, an atrium and reading room that utilize natural light, an auditorium, a legal clinic and two teaching courtrooms.

NAMING OPPORTUNITIES
Colleges and schools may be named to recognize individuals who have attained achievements of extraordinary and lasting distinction and who have made a significant contribution to the State or the University. The new College of Law Building provides opportunities to name courtrooms, the Law Library, the legal clinic, lecture halls and other rooms. Those who avail themselves of this opportunity will be able to memorialize an outstanding legal career, a notable lifetime and be in good company with others who have personified legal excellence throughout Miami 's history.

ENDOWMENT MATCHING PROGRAM
Gifts of $100,000 or more can be leveraged dramatically through FIU's participation in the most innovative higher education matching gift program in the nation. The State of Florida Trust Fund for Major Gifts provides state matching funds for all gifts of $100,000 or more for an endowment that supports the University's teaching and research programs, scholarships, fellowships, and libraries. In some cases, gifts of less that $100,000 may qualify if they are combined with other gifts for the same purpose and the combined total of all gifts reaches $100,000.

For additional information:

Development & Community Relations
George Corton, Director
FIU College of Law
University Park , GL 474
Miami , FL 33199
Telephone: 305-348-1125
Fax: 305-348-2301

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