The Indiana University Maurer School of Law announced Wednesday it will be receiving a $20 million estate gift from Lowell Baier, a 1964 graduate of the school.
“Lowell is a wonderful person who thinks highly of the education here,” said Austen Parrish, dean of the law school. “I’m thrilled.”
In recognition of the gift, the law school building will be named Baier Hall and the law school library will be named the Jerome Hall Law Library in honor of a longtime law school professor who was a mentor to Baier and many other alumni. Parrish said there will likely be a naming event in May, perhaps at the time Baier is on campus to receive an honorary degree. The law school building is currently unnamed, as is the library, Parrish said.
The gift will be distributed annually over a period of years after Baier’s death. The money will be used for renovations of facilities and a possible expansion. The nearby Phi Gamma Delta fraternity is moving to the University Courts Historic Neighborhood. The move is the result of a deal between the fraternity and IU, which wants the land for its master plan. While the land would be an ideal spot for an expansion of the law school, no commitment has been made, Parrish said.
“The money will be used for facilities,” Parrish said. “If we are in a position to expand, I hope we could use some of it for that.”
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