BALTIMORE, April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the W. P. Carey Foundation announced a gift of $30 million to the University of Maryland School of Law.  The gift is the largest in the School's history, one of the top 10 largest gifts to any law school, public or private, and one of the largest in the history of the University System of Maryland.

The gift will enable the School of Law to strengthen its programs, with a special emphasis on faculty support, and increase the School's endowment.  In addition to the gift, the University of Maryland has committed to raise $15 million to support the School of Law.

W. P. Carey Foundation founder William Polk Carey said, "This gift represents the Carey family's educational and philanthropic legacy in the great state of Maryland and helps us honor family members who dedicated their lives and careers to education, to civic duty and many to the legal profession itself.  It is our hope that with this gift, the University of Maryland School of Law will continue its tradition of graduating students who make a special contribution to the business world—like my grandfather and his brother did."

The School of Law will be named the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law after W. P. Carey's grandfather who is a graduate of the law school (Class of 1880) and co-founder of what is now the largest law firm in the world: DLA Piper (formerly Carey, Piper and Hall).  The firm's current chairman is also an alumnus of the University of Maryland School of Law, Frank Burch (Class of 1974).  Additionally, Francis King Carey's older brother James Carey was a graduate of the law school (Class of 1875), as was his son Francis J. Carey (Class of 1912).

Governor Martin J. O'Malley, another University of Maryland School of Law alumnus (Class of 1988) said, "With gifts totaling $100 million overall to support education at all levels in Maryland, the Carey family has shown remarkable support for not only the University of Maryland, but also for the education system in general throughout the years.  This gift helps to strengthen our state's global reputation in the competitive field of higher education."

In addition to this gift, the Foundation has given $50 million dollars to the Arizona State University, where the W. P. Carey School of Business is located, and $50 million dollars to the Johns Hopkins University, where the Carey Business School is located (named after W. P. Carey's great, great, great grandfather).  This makes W. P. Carey the only individual in the country who has two business schools and one law school named after one family.

Overall, W. P. Carey and the Foundation will have given more than $150 million dollars in support of education worldwide to honor his family's long and storied legacy in education, for their commitment to education and civic duty, particularly in the state of Maryland.  In addition to Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland, other Maryland schools the Foundation has gifted include the Gilman School, founded by Anne Galbraith Carey, Baltimore School for the Arts, The Bryn Mawr School, and the Calvert School.

"This extraordinary gift will support the school's dedication to providing a world class education," said University of Maryland School of Law Dean Phoebe A. Haddon.  "Our program has a rising national reputation for excellence and it is our hope that this gift will engage and strengthen the School of Law and the University System of Maryland overall as we continue to graduate the best and brightest students."

The University of Maryland School of Law is the third oldest law school in the country and is located on the University's founding campus in Baltimore.  The University will celebrate the 200th anniversary of its chartering in 2012.  Four of the School of Law's specialty areas are ranked in the Top 10 by U.S. News & World Report:  Health Care Law (#3), Clinical Law (#6), Environmental Law (#7), and Trial Advocacy (#8).  Its Part-Time program is ranked in the top ten as well at #8.  The law school established one of the first clinical programs in the country (more than 40 years ago) and is one of the only law schools to have international clinics located on site, in-country.

Distinguished University of Maryland School of Law alumni include Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, former U.S. Senator Joseph Tydings, current U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Andre Davis, among others.

About the W. P. Carey Foundation

The W. P. Carey Foundation is a private U.S. foundation, incorporated in 1988 by William Polk Carey. It has a twenty-year tradition of focused philanthropy.

The W. P. Carey Foundation's primary mission is to support educational institutions with the larger goal of improving America's competitiveness in the world. The main focus of its support is to schools, universities, and other programs that have an affiliation with the Carey family.

SOURCE W. P. Carey Foundation