Published: Sept. 13, 2012

Dean Phil Weiser led Colorado Law in a banner year of fundraising, helping the law school raise $6 million in outside donations, exceeding the $3.4 million mark of the previous year and raising over $1 million in the law school’s campaign to honor Dean David Getches. Notably, the fundraising efforts included support for three endowed professorships: the Dale Hatfield Professorship in Technology and Law, the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic Professorship, and the Getches-Green Natural Resources and Environmental Law Clinic Professorship. All three professorships continue to benefit from additional contributions, but after the first year of Weiser’s deanship, each surpassed the $1 million mark in gifts and pledges. Two of the professorships were part of the Chancellor’s Challenge Match Campaign and are available immediately to the law school.

The Dale Hatfield Professorship was made possible by Dale Hatfield’s generous contribution, which will support a professor in the area of law and technology. In particular, the professorship will support a faculty member affiliated with the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship, which Hatfield ran while Weiser was on leave working in the Justice Department and the White House. Taken together, Hatfield’s support and that of 137 donors have raised over $1.3 million in gifts and pledges. Once the professorship is funded with $1.5 million in actual donations, it will be available to a Colorado Law faculty member.

The Entrepreneurial Law Clinic Professorship campaign was led by Jason Mendelson, the co-founder and managing director of Foundry Group, and an adjunct professor at Colorado Law. Mendelson seized the opportunity to secure a permanent position by securing $1 million in gifts and pledges. With that target met, Chancellor Phil DiStefano provided the law school with a permanent position, which Weiser is using to keep Brad Bernthal, an associate professor, on the roster.

"I am truly amazed by the community's support of the entrepreneurial professorship. It proves that the work being done at Colorado Law is relevant to professors, students, and the community in general by raising the transactional intelligence and collaboration between them all," said Mendelson.

The Getches-Green Natural Resources and Environmental Law Clinic Professorship was made possible by generous gifts from the Green Fund, David Bonderman, and an anonymous donor. The Green Fund took advantage of this opportunity to honor Kelly Green and David Getches, who worked together to establish the original Natural Resources Law Clinic at Colorado Law. The Getches-Green Professorship, which became a permanent position to support the salary of the professor of the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Clinic on account of the Chancellor’s March Challenge, is now held by Michael Soules, an associate professor teaching the clinic.

“The fundraising campaigns for three professorships reflect the law school’s focus on human capital investments,” explained Dean Phil Weiser. “With a state-of-the-art building, our most pressing needs are to support the people in the building—scholarships and loan repayment as well as professorships and programs. I am most grateful that a number of individuals led the way and set such an inspiring example for our community.”