The Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law -- the new name of the law school at the University of Alabama -- doesn't exactly roll off your tongue.
It will take a while to get used to, but that's what you get when you donate $26.5 million to an educational institution -- you get naming rights.
Culverhouse, a Florida attorney and developer, has delivered $11.5 million so far to the law school. That's good for at least half his name on the building; who calls a law school by its full name anyway?
Culverhouse School of Law
Actually, Culverhouse agreed to make his donation over a four-year period. It will be the largest gift the university has ever received.
The Culverhouse name is not new to the University of Alabama. Last year, he and his wife donated $1.5 million to the law school for an endowed chair in constitutional law.
His parents attended the university, where his mother was on the golf team. So Culverhouse donated $2.5 million to fund scholarships for female golfers.
Culverhouse also gave $5.3 million to the business school with naming rights to honor his father. Over the past decade, the Culverhouse couple donated about $35 million to the university.
Pursuit of Passion
Culverhouse said he hopes his latest donation will help law students pursue jobs they love.
"I want scholarships in case you say, 'I don't want to work for a large firm. I want to work for the government,'" said Culverhouse, a former assistant U.S. attorney. "I want you all to have the ability to do what you want."
University president Stuart Bell expressed thanks for the "accelerated timetable" of the donation. He said it will "enhance the impact of the gift."
"This transformative gift by Hugh Culverhouse leaves an indelible mark on UA's School of Law and will greatly impact our law students for generations to come," he said.
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