The School of Law is pleased to share that 2001 alumnus Gardiner Thompson became the most recent University of Georgia School of Law graduate to create an endowed scholarship supporting first-generation college graduates.
“My wife, Kiplyn, and I are pleased to support the School of Law’s scholarship program aimed at making law school tuition more attainable for first-generation college graduates,” Thompson said. “We look forward to seeing opportunities unfold for the deserving recipients and the positive impacts they will make on our profession and in our communities, and we hope the law school experience at UGA will afford the recipients with lifelong opportunities and friendships as it did for me.”
First-generation students currently comprise 10% of our first-year Juris Doctor class. Catalyzed by a transformational gift from 1982 alumna Kathelen V. Amos and the Daniel P. Amos Family Foundation, these students receive financial support and a range of programming designed to help them successfully navigate law school and transition into the legal profession.
"On the heels of the successful Commit to Georgia campaign, 100% of the first-generation college graduates enrolled in our Juris Doctor program now receive some level of financial aid," School of Law Dean Peter B. "Bo" Rutledge said.
"In 2022, one of our goals for our law school is to increase the level of support for this important cohort. Gifts from alums like Gardiner and his wife bring us yet closer to that worthy goal and advance our unrelenting vision to be the nation’s best return on investment in legal education. Please join me in thanking Gardiner, Kiplyn and all of our first-generation supporters as they help to make a first-rate legal education more accessible to law students seeking to serve state and society."