Donald and Susan Sturm have given $20 million to the University of Denver College of Law.
Donald and Susan Sturm, owners of Denver-based American National Bank, have given $20 million to the University of Denver College of Law. The gift is the largest single donation in the 112-year history of the law school and among the largest gifts ever to the University. The school has been named the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in honor of Donald Sturm, who graduated from the school in 1958.
“This gift comes at an important time for the College of Law,” says Dean Mary Ricketson. “We continue to improve in every way: remarkable students, the faculty’s outstanding academic achievements, a dedicated staff and world-class facilities. The Sturms’ generous gift will help catapult us even higher.”
During the last three years, the College of Law has risen substantially in the U.S.News & World Report “America’s Best Graduate Schools” ranking, reaching 77th for 2005. The school also ranked No. 12 in environmental law, No. 14 in trial advocacy and No. 22 in tax law for 2005.
“My moving to Denver to attend the law school at DU in late 1955 was one of those unplanned circumstances that become life-changing events,” says Donald Sturm, a University trustee since 1992. “The legal education I received enabled me to become a professional and enjoy various successful careers. I am extremely grateful to the law school and the University for opening up so many opportunities for me.”
The Sturms have given more than $29 million to the University of Denver in various other funds and gifts, including the Donald L. and Susan M. Sturm Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, a three-part program established in 1999 to promote outstanding teaching. The couple also donated $6 million toward the renovation of Sturm Hall (formerly the Business Administration and General Classroom Building), which is home to most of the University’s humanities and social sciences programs.