© 2018 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
(May 25) – Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, with gifts totaling $4 million, is launching an academic center this fall focused on business leadership and corporate law.
At the request of an anonymous donor who led with a $3 million contribution, The Robert B. Rowling Center for Business Law and Leadership is named in honor of the owner and chairman of TRT Holdings Inc., the holding company for the Omni Hotels and Resorts chain and Gold’s Gym International. Rowling is a 1979 graduate of the law school.
“This center will enhance the education we provide to our students by ensuring that graduates have the commitment to ethical leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, and business acumen they need to navigate the rapidly evolving employment landscape,” SMU Law Dean Jennifer Collins said in a statement.
“It also will position the law school as a thought leader on questions related to corporate law and leadership and provide us with new opportunities to engage our alumni and the broader legal and business community.”
The Rowling Center, in collaboration with SMU’s Cox School of Business, will provide new leadership training on professionalism and “soft skills” and empirical training on core business skills, according to the university’s announcement. In addition, the center is expected to enhance the law school’s mentoring program, connect students with SMU alumni in the business world and be home to programming featuring business leaders from around the world.
The law school’s key Corporate Counsel Externship Program, which provides externships in corporate legal departments in DFW, will be associated with the new center. More than 70 students participated in this program during the past school year.
“I am honored to have my name associated with this center for several reasons,” Rowling said in a statement. “I know from personal experience that a law degree is very useful in business. The center’s emphasis on business law and leadership will train law students in critical areas of business and position them well for future career success.”
The new center will offer expanded course offerings for J.D. students and those enrolled in the university’s J.D./M.B.A. degree programs, which include a four-year traditional track and an accelerated three-year schedule that launched in 2016.
In addition to the $3 million anonymous gift, the Dedman Foundation gave $1 million to the creation of the law school’s third interdisciplinary center. The others are the Tsai Center for Law, Science and Innovation and the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center.
Dean Collins said the search for a director to lead the Rowling Center is ongoing.
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