The University of Michigan's Law School scored a big win last week when a benefactor made a $10 million donation toward its $102 million renovation/expansion project.

The university's Law School is midway through the project that will renovate parts of the famed Law Quad and add another 4-story building next to it on the surface parking lot on Monroe Street next to Dominick's. The university plans to put that stretch of Monroe on a vacation, which means it will become pedestrian only. That project is expected to wrap up by 2012.

"Symbolically, it's very important," says Evan Carminker, dean of the University of Michigan Law School. He explained that donors usually feel less philanthropic during tough economic times, so a big donation can go a long way toward reassuring people's confidence in donating money.

Robert and Ann Aikens of Bloomfield Hills made the gift, the largest ever made to the Law School by a living donor. Aikens, a Law School alum, is chairman of Robert B. Aikens & Associates, a commercial real estate development and management firm.

In return the Law School will rename the Law Quad's new commons after Aikens. The commons will blend the Gothic architecture of the Law Quad with contemporary architecture in a space dominated by a large glass roof. The 2-story, 16,000-square-foot space will include group study spaces, gathering spots for faculty and students, a café, and student organizational space.

Source: Evan Carminker, dean of the University of Michigan Law School
Writer: Jon Zemke