IU law school renamed

The IU law school will be renamed to the Michael Maurer School of Law after a man who is giving a $35 million dollar gift to go toward scholarships.

Michael Maurer is a 1967 IU law school alumnus who, along with his wife Janie, gave the gift.

The amount will be matched by IU’s Matching the Promise campaign, essentially doubling the contribution, IU President Michael McRobbie said.

Michael Maurer served as a lawyer and businessman in the media field, as well as other ventures.

It is the largest gift to the law school by a single donor, McRobbie said, stressing that this type of selfless giving has made the United States’ education system the best in the world.

McRobbie also said the gift, as well as other generous giving, ensures IU’s relentless drive for research and scholarship despite the hard economic times.

“At Indiana, I learned how to think,” Maurer said in a press conference.

He said what he learned at the law school helped him in his life’s success. He said as soon as he was able, he’d give back.

“In full confidence, we make this gift in the leadership of Dean Robel,” he said.

The money will go toward scholarships to attract the “very, very best” students to the school, said Lauren Robel, the school’s dean. She said there was a holistic approach to finding those students. She also said the scholarships would be available by application and recruitment.

Robel said she was thrilled by Maurer’s moral and philanthropic example.

Maurer said the students at the school now are great, but to be “the” public law school, the school needs to have a higher median LSAT score. The way to do that, he said, was to attract students through scholarships.

Law student Larry Hagerman said the gift will affect future students, current students and alumni. Future students can get the scholarships, and alumni and current students will add value to their degree because of the expected increase in the school’s reputation the gift will bring. It might also encourage other alumni to give to the school, Hagerman said.

He said he was grateful for the example the gift sets. It shows alumni out there are looking out for them, he said.

“It all works together,” Hagerman said.