Villanova Law Receives $25M Gift

Villanova University School of Law will be renamed in honor of the man who recently gave the institution a “transformative” $25 million gift, Villanova University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue announced Wednesday.

The gift comes from Charles Widger, a 1973 alumnus and founder of Brinker Capital. In recognition, the school will be renamed the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.

This investment is the largest ever to the law school and the second largest in the university’s history, school officials said in a statement.

“Charles Widger’s historic gift recognizes the strength of Villanova’s Law School—our faculty, students and our alumni—and the unwavering belief in its future,” Donohue said. “The gift will propel our Law School forward to new heights, and I am pleased and honored that the School will now and forever be connected to the Widger name.”

Villanova officials say the gift will help the continuing effort to revitalize legal education by “pushing the boundaries of traditional instruction and infusing business coursework, professional development skills and real-world learning opportunities into every student’s education.”

“My investment in Villanova Law is an investment in the preservation of the two institutions that are vital to a free society, the rule of law and a market economy, both of which will enable us to flourish as a people for generations to come,” Widger said. “Our graduates enter the profession better trained than any others to take on this awesome responsibility as lawyers in private practice, business, government or the nonprofit sector. Applying their legal skills, business acumen and foundation in Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic mission, Villanova lawyers make a tremendous difference in society.”

According to information from Villanova, Widger’s $25 million investment will support the following programs:

• Endowed Scholars Program to provide financial support to incoming Law School students who have shown a significant interest in both law and business and have demonstrated leadership qualities.

• Endowed University Professorship to create a new interdisciplinary University faculty member position based in the Law School that will help foster cross-campus research, academic programming and collaboration among Villanova’s colleges.

• Dean’s Innovation Fund to support new strategic and academic programs that enable the law school to stay on the cutting-edge of ever-shifting market conditions. The fund will launch new programs, such as new efforts focusing on student formation, and will help us gain sustainable advantage in the legal education market.

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