The largest private gift in the history of the College of William & Mary Law School will fund the construction of a new building on the school’s campus.
The college announced Nov. 20 a “leadership gift” from James A. Hixon, a 1979 graduate of the law school, which is going toward the construction of the $7 million James A. and Robin L. Hixon Center for Experiential Learning and Leadership.
The announcement was made during the building’s groundbreaking ceremony.
The college has not announced the size of the gift, but Director of News and Media Suzanne Seurattan said it exceeded $3 million.
The 12,000-square foot building will be located at South Henry Street, and will be used primarily by the law school’s nine legal clinics. It is scheduled to open in time for fall 2016 classes.
“We are grateful to Jim for making this leadership gift to the Law School,” William & Mary President Taylor Reveley said in a news release. “The Hixon Center is vital to our continued success in training citizen lawyers: men and women who are not only skilled advocates, but also are caring citizens and leaders in law and in our communities. The center will serve as a vital hub for our highly regarded Legal Practice Program, nine legal clinics, and our leadership activities.”
Hixon is originally from Northern Virginia, and graduated from Virginia Tech in 1976 with a degree in business finance. He received a J.D. from the William & Mary Law School in 1979, and a master of laws in taxation in 1980. He joined the Norfolk Southern Corporation as a counsel in 1985.
Since 2005, he has served as Norfolk Southern’s executive vice president, law and corporate relations.
Law School Dean Davison Douglas said Hixon’s gift was a welcome addition to the law school at a time of significant growth.
“In the last six years alone, we have added eight legal writing professors to our faculty and established five new clinics — the Appellate and Supreme Court Clinic, the Elder Law Clinic, the PELE Special Education Advocacy Clinic, the Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic, and the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic,” Douglas said in a press release. “I want to thank Jim for this gift, for his support and friendship over the years, and for his investment in the education and training of future William & Mary lawyers.”
The building is being designed by VMDO Architects out of Charlottesville. Construction will be managed by Gilbane, Inc. of Providence, R.I.
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