Chapman University‘s law school was recently awarded a multimillion-dollar gift, one that will fund student scholarships.

The $15 million gift from Board of Trustees Chair Parker S. Kennedy is one of the most substantial in the school’s history, Chapman said in a news release.

Of that, $10 million is for scholarship funds for students at the Fowler School of Law while another $1 million will elevate the Parker S. Kennedy Professor of Law position to the Parker S. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Law.

“In academics, named and endowed chairs are considered even more prestigious than named and endowed professorships,” said university spokesperson Carly Murphy. “Both provide the professor with support each year for their teaching and research. And, of course, the bigger the endowment, the more support the professor gets. Named chairs enable us to attract and retain top faculty.”

How the remaining $4 million will be used will be announced at a later date.

Parker S. Kennedy is the son of the late Donald P. Kennedy, a philanthropist and university benefactor who is the namesake of the Donald P. Kennedy Hall in the law school and the Donald P. Kennedy Intercollegiate Athletics Program at Chapman.

The gift was announced at an Aug. 24 welcome reception for new law school Dean Paul Paton, according to the release.

“This endowed scholarship fund will help us recruit the best and brightest students,” said Matt Parlow, chief advancement officer at Chapman University. “Fowler School of Law is what it is today because of the support of the Kennedy family. Their name and impact at the Fowler School of Law can be seen in so many ways and have driven us to such tremendous success.”

Busts of former U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Thurgood Marshall were also unveiled at the welcome reception.

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