Press Release

Loyola University Chicago School of Law Receives $6 Million Gift from University Trustee
Largest-ever contribution from a non-alumnus to the School of Law will help found groundbreaking Rule of Law Institute

CHICAGO, January 11, 2021 —Loyola University Chicago today announced a $6 million dollar gift from University Board of Trustee member Barry McCabe to create an institute dedicated to studying and strengthening the rule of law domestically and in developing nations and emerging democracies. McCabe's gift is the largest-ever contribution from a non-alumnus to Loyola's School of Law.

This founding gift will establish the groundbreaking Rule of Law Institute within the School. Building on the foundation of its well-established Rule of Law for Development Program (PROLAW), the Rule of Law Institute is the next strategic step forward for the University’s domestic and international engagement in the pursuit of social justice and political equity. It will research and analyze rule of law issues, develop approaches to those problems, and, together with University and external partners, aid in implementing and tracking those solutions.

A graduate of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, McCabe has been an integral part of the PROLAW program since its inception. His gift will provide for research, faculty, programming, and collaboration with academia, governments, NGOs, and other partners around the globe. Ongoing philanthropic support will be critical to the success of the Institute, and it will be a significant fundraising priority for the University going forward.

"Human welfare and development depend on equal rights and responsibilities under the law regardless of race, religion, gender, wealth, or status," said McCabe. "The rule of law desperately requires the humanistic, Jesuit focus that Loyola University Chicago is equipped to offer. Loyola not only prepares highly skilled attorneys, it also prepares professionals with a social conscience. That's what the rule of law is all about and why I fervently believe it is worth advancing especially at this time."

The Rule of Law Institute is part of Loyola’s vision to engage faculty and students in developing new approaches to significant and often difficult global challenges. Like the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health and the School of Environmental Sustainability, the Institute is structured for interdisciplinary engagement and will convene knowledge and expertise from across the University. Scholars and students in law, economics and trade, leadership, management, the sciences and social sciences, health, policymaking, the environment, and the humanities will come together to address worldwide issues such as infringements of human rights, violence, environmental destruction, poverty, and hunger.

"Mr. McCabe’s founding gift touches the world and the future and reaffirms the University’s larger commitment to addressing urgent and complex social and scientific issues," said Jo Ann Rooney, president of Loyola University Chicago. "The Rule of Law Institute will be a center for vibrant, engaged pedagogy and experiential education through applied research, field experience, interdisciplinary learning, and capstone studies. As its faculty, staff, and students develop and disseminate new models and insights, the Institute will advance conversations about the relationship of Ignatian values to justice through the rule of law and provides the University an opportunity to expand its global influence at a critical time." To learn more about Loyola University Chicago’s Rule of Law Institute, click here.

About Loyola University Chicago
Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, with more than 16,600 students. Nearly 11,500 undergraduates call Loyola home. The University has four campuses: three in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy, as well as course locations in Saigon-Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Vernon Hills, Illinois (Cuneo Mansion and Gardens); and a Retreat and Ecology Campus in Woodstock, Illinois. The University features 14 schools, colleges, and institutes, including Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago, College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School, Institute of Environmental Sustainability, Institute of Pastoral Studies, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Quinlan School of Business, School of Communication, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, School of Education, School of Law, School of Social Work, and Stritch School of Medicine. Ranked a top national university by U.S. News & World Report, Loyola is also among a select group of universities recognized for community service and engagement by prestigious national organizations like the Carnegie Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service. To learn more about Loyola, visit LUC.edu, “like” us at Facebook.com/LoyolaChicago, or follow us on Twitter via @LoyolaChicago or @LoyolaNewsroom.