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Brigham Young University may have its own law school, but that isn’t stopping The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from donating $4 million to their rival, the University of Utah. They announced Friday that they would help fund the creation of a new building on the campus of S.J. Quinney College of Law.
“The church’s involvement with the university [of Utah] goes back to its founding,” said a news release quoting LDS Presiding Bishop Gary E. Stevenson. “The new, state-of-the-art law school building and those who will graduate from there will benefit the university and the community.” Brigham Young himself seems to have been involved with the founding of the University of Utah, and so the Mormon Church is interested in seeing it succeed. Said the law dean Hiram Chodosh regarding thing substantial gift:
“The LDS Church and the College of Law recognize our shared interest in increasing education’s global impact in a number of critical areas, including the development of democracy and the rule of law globally, new developments in health science, adaptations to emerging economic challenges and stewardship of the environment. This gift will be invaluable in supporting our core commitments to student engagement and success, innovative teaching methodologies, and conducting research to address critical issues in society.”
The total project will cost $60.5 million and create a beautiful new lecture hall to replace the Great Depression-era Carlson Hall. Construction begins in 2013 and is expected to be complete in time for the 2014-2015 school year. The 155,000-square-foot project will completely reconfigure the entrance to the campus, and give a larger venue to invite speakers and gatherings.
