Donation to UM law school explained

University of Montana President Royce Engstrom came to Kalispell on Thursday to publicly accept a $10 million donation made to the university’s School of Law by a Great Falls attorney and his wife.

As a result of the donation, the University of Montana School of Law will officially become the Alexander Blewett III School of Law if the move is approved by the Board of Regents today. 

“This gift is among the largest, most prestigious gifts that the university has ever received,” said Engstrom.

Donors Alexander “Zander” and Andrea “Andy” Blewett of Great Falls were on hand at Flathead Valley Community College Thursday to meet with Engstrom, other university officials and the Montana Board of Regents as the gift was being formally announced. The regents are meeting in Kalispell this week.

“This support will transform our law school and ensure excellence in legal education for generations to come,” said Greg Munro, interim dean for the School of Law.

The proposal to change the name of the university met with some resistance Thursday when regent Martha Sheehy, a Billings attorney, questioned the process by which the name change was negotiated.

According to the Associated Press, Sheehy said the public was not involved in the deliberations on whether to sell the school’s name and for how much. She said she’s received comments from several attorneys who asked the regents not to rename the law school, especially with so little time to consider the change.

“If we make that decision, we need to take more time to consider whether that is the right thing to do,” she said.

Engstrom told the Associated Press that the negotiations were conducted in confidence to protect Blewett’s identity until it was finalized.

Blewett, a 1971 University of Montana School of Law graduate, said he was particularly pleased the gift will be used to build a consumer law and protection program.

“I received an outstanding legal education at UM Law, as did my father and our two sons,” Blewett said. “We love the law school and wanted to do something to ensure that future generations have that same opportunity.”

An endowed chair in consumer law and protection will be created through the gift. The gift will also provide $1.5 million for the Access to Legal Education Scholarship Fund. The scholarship donation is structured as a giving challenge. For every gift of $500 or more, the Blewetts will match the donations, up to $1.5 million. If the challenge is met, new scholarship donations will total $3 million.

Additionally, the Blewett’s $10 million gift will be used to establish an endowed discretionary fund for general law school support. The gift doubles the law school’s endowment to more than $21 million.

Engstrom and  Munro said the gift will make law school accessible to more students, particularly through scholarships.

“During an era when law schools nationwide are struggling with enrollment, this gift positions us to do incredible things in the coming years,” Engstrom said.

Munro later said, “At a time when student debt is increasing, Zander and Andy are putting law school within reach of more students.”

Blewett said the gift reflects his role as a plaintiff’s trial lawyer, having represented injured people who can’t afford lawyers by working for contingency fees. He estimated that he has been able to help more than 1,000 people.

“It’s important to realize that the very essence and basis of this gift rests on the shoulders of these injured people,” Blewett said.

Blewett said he hoped that the donation would encourage others to donate to public education.

“My wife Andy and I have supported public education for years and are even more intent now when people are attacking public education, claiming that private education based on religious beliefs is a better situation. We greatly disagree with that,” Blewett said.

Blewett said he wanted to make the donation under the watch of Munro and Engstrom, who he said were instrumental in maintaining the law school’s accreditation and excellence.

Blewett’s father, Alexander Blewett Jr., graduated from the UM School of Law in 1938, and sons, Anders and Drew, graduated from the school in 2007. Today, Blewett and his sons practice law at Hoyt & Blewett. 

“The Blewetts’ gift will create a program we believe will be unique in the nation,” he added.

If approved by the regents, Blewetts’ donation will be celebrated in September in conjunction with the State Bar of Montana’s annual meeting. The new building signs will be unveiled at that time.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.