On Wednesday, the University of Colorado Boulder announced that it will be the recipient of a $10 million gift in a bequest, according to The Denver Business Journal.
This will be the largest cash gift in the history of the school. It will endow two new faculty chairs.
The money has been pledged from the estate of Byron Chrisman and his wife Carlene Chrisman. Byron is a 1966 graduate of Colorado Law. He worked as a commercial real estate developer during his career. The money will be donated to create the Byron and Carlene Chrisman Chairs in Free Enterprise.
“My goal is not to see just capitalism and free enterprise taught as the only way, but rather that all ideas will be fully taught: the good, the bad and the ugly,” Chrisman said.
Phil Weiser, the dean of Colorado Law, said that the donation comes at a time when the school needs stronger finances.
“We need to attract sources of funding from private donors,” Weiser said. “This is a tremendous shot in the arm in terms of support for the CU Law School, and it’ll be an inspiration to others who can give either during their lifetimes or from their estates.”
The donation also includes $400,000 for scholarships that were established in honor of former Colorado Law faculty members. Those four are David Getches, Harold Bruff, Edward King and Jim Carrigan.
“Students who learn at Colorado Law then go off into the world, and educate and influence many others,” Carlene Chrisman said.
Weisler added, “[Byron Chrisman] is committed to ‘paying it forward’ and sharing his entrepreneurial spirit with future Colorado Law students.”
The money will be donated to the school when the Chrismans pass away and be used to fund senior faculty positions for scholars with a commitment to free enterprise.
In 1975,Byron formed the law firm of Chrisman and Bynum. The firm was acquired in 2002 by Faegre & Benson.
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