Vermont Law School raises record $18.4 million in capital campaign

Vermont Law School Raises Record $18.4 Million in Capital Campaign
JULY 9, 2012

Vermont Law School President and Dean Jeff Shields and Matt Rizzo, executive director of VLS’s Office of Institutional Advancement, on Tuesday announced the successful completion of the largest capital campaign in the school’s history.

The three-year campaign, which ended June 30, raised $18.4 million, surpassing the goal of $15 million by more than 20 percent. The money will contribute to a wide range of projects, many directly supporting VLS’s top-ranked environmental program and its top-tier clinical programs. Funding came from nearly 3,000 supporters, including Vermont’s congressional delegation –U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch — who were instrumental in making the campaign a success.

“I am heartened by the breadth of support we received during this campaign,” said Shields. “This was a team effort on behalf of Vermont Law School by many people who recognize what we do for the state of Vermont, for our students and for the advancement of the rule of law at home and abroad. We received terrific help from alumni, parents, friends, the bar, students, foundations, faculty, institutional supports and our congressional delegation. I especially want to single out Jimmy Hanson, our Board capital campaign chair, and Ed Mattes, the chair of our Board, for their first-rate leadership of a Board that unanimously participated in this campaign. Matt Rizzo led a top-notch team in Institutional Advancement, and I am also grateful for the hard work of our campaign co-director, Dorothy Heinrichs. Our campus leadership on this campaign was crucial to its success.”

The campaign was launched by a key gift from Trustee Fran Yates that helped purchase the former Freck’s department store in South Royalton. The building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was renamed the Center for Legal Services and was renovated with the strict environmental standards for which VLS is known. The Center is one of the largest buildings on the 16-building campus and houses the South Royalton Legal Clinic (SRLC), the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic (ENRLC), other clinical programs and the

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