Robina Foundation Gives $2.3M for Dean’s Innovation Fund
The Law School has received a $2.3M gift from the Robina Foundation to endow a Dean’s Innovation Fund to support creative, impactful programs, projects, and initiatives.
The Foundation test-piloted this concept with earlier grants. For example, initial funding was used to develop the recently-launched Minnesota Law mobile app—which provides students with easy access to resources, event information and registration, and connections to the Law School and University community—and to support a faculty-led research project on the criminal justice system. The Robina Foundation also provided critical matching funds that were used to bolster 10 newly created student scholarships through private philanthropy in conjunction with the Law School’s Driven to Lead campaign. With the establishment of this new permanent endowment, the Law School will have a sustained source of funding for future projects and matching gifts that will advance the Law School’s strategic imperatives.
“Dean Jenkins and future law deans will be able to apply the fund proceeds, on an annual basis, where it will do the most good,” said Kathleen A. Blatz ’84, chair of the Robina board and former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. “We have enormous confidence in the University of Minnesota Law School and its ability to innovate, provide a world-class legal education, and make a difference in the world.”
“As a law school that aspires to develop the next generation of lawyer-leaders and advance the common good, it is critical that we have the flexibility to engage in fresh approaches and find new ways to maximize our effectiveness and impact,” said Garry W. Jenkins, dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law. “I am incredibly grateful to the Robina Foundation for this visionary and generous investment, which provides a recurring source for us to pursue forward-thinking strategic initiatives that support our mission and ensure our continued relevance in a fast-changing world.”
The Robina Foundation, created by James H. Binger ’41 in 2004, will sunset in December 2020. In its 16-year history, the limited-life foundation has made several transformative gifts to the Law School. Robina Foundation funds have been used to establish and endow the James H. Binger Center for New Americans, launch the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Justice, to support the Robina Public Interest Scholars Program, and to provide scholarship aid to students, among other initiatives.
