LAS VEGAS, NV - Boyd Gaming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William S. Boyd today announced a gift of $25 million to his namesake law school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The gift is one of the largest private donations ever pledged to the university.
Mr. Boyd, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming, commented on the announcement, "I am so proud of what the Boyd School of Law at UNLV has accomplished in such a short time. The leadership of Dean Morgan and President Harter has been tremendous and they deserve a lot of the credit for the early success. The school is creating opportunities for Nevada's young people that were not possible a decade ago. My gift today will help to make sure the school continues its success and has a bright future for many years to come."
Boyd was a leading advocate and one of the founding supporters of the William S. Boyd School of Law, pledging $5 million in 1997 for its creation. Funds from today's gift will be utilized to support professorships, chairs, scholarships and ancillary educational opportunities for students and faculty.
"Bill Boyd's gift is a reflection of his leadership in Las Vegas, and continues his family legacy in supporting higher education," said UNLV President Carol C. Harter. "We are deeply appreciative of his generosity, his advocacy and his vision. His remarkable commitment to the university brings enormous returns to our entire community."
Boyd's pledge to the law school is the latest in a personal and family history of support for UNLV. A million-dollar endowment to the university's William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration in 1985 included the Sam Boyd and Mary Boyd Faculty Chair of Hotel Administration, an annual Sam Boyd and Mary Boyd Distinguished Professorship endowment, and the establishment of the Boyd Dining Hall Complex. The Boyd family's support of UNLV Athletics is also reflected in the name of the university's football arena, Sam Boyd Stadium.
"Bill Boyd has played a very great role in the creation and life of this law school," said Boyd Law School Dean Richard Morgan. "For him to now bestow upon us a gift of this magnitude is very meaningful, showing his confidence in our school and giving us the ability to build a great law school for Nevada."
Bill Boyd practiced law in Las Vegas for more than 15 years and was a partner with his father, Sam A. Boyd, among others, in the Union Plaza Hotel & Casino and the Eldorado Casino. In 1973, Bill Boyd and his father co-founded Boyd Gaming Corporation, whose first property, the California Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas, opened in January 1975. At that time, Bill left the practice of law and began his full-time career in the gaming industry. Today, Bill Boyd is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming, a publicly traded New York Stock Exchange Company.
Bill Boyd is a member of the UNLV Football Foundation, the President's Community Advisory Council and the Law School Advisory Committee. He has been a UNLV Foundation Board Trustee since 1983 and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1986. He was inducted into the Nevada Business Hall of Fame earlier this year.
The William S. Boyd School of Law received full accreditation by the American Bar Association in 2003, and was granted membership in the Association of American Law Schools in 2004.
