New York, NY, Sept. 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New York Law School (NYLS) Dean Anthony W. Crowell and NYLS Trustee and distinguished alumnus Zygi Wilf ’74, Principal Owner of the Minnesota Vikings, today announced a historic $5-million gift that will profoundly expand NYLS’s public interest work.
The gift, made by the Wilf Family Foundations, establishes the New York Law School Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest Law and establishes the Wilf Impact Scholars Program. The Wilf Impact Center will house the School’s vast array of nationally-recognized programs to expand access to justice, eliminate barriers to equal opportunity, and enhance the quality of public services and legal representation. These include the long-respected Racial Justice Project, Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families, Law School Pipeline Project, and Housing Justice Leadership Institute, as well as new initiatives such as the 21st Century Policing Project, the Criminal Justice Institute, and the Education Law and Policy Institute.
The most important initiative brought about by the Wilf Impact Center investment is the creation of a world-class scholarship program—the Wilf Impact Scholars Program—allowing NYLS to recruit and retain an annual cohort of students who will bring diversity, talent, and dedication to public interest careers. The gift provides vital access to legal education to students through substantial renewable scholarships, summer fellowships, and post-graduate fellowships These prestigious designations will be awarded through a competitive process with a commitment to attracting those from historically underrepresented groups in the profession.
Ten students per year will be designated Wilf Scholars, with the first group selected this month.
“This transformative gift will open doors and change lives,” said Anthony W. Crowell, NYLS Dean and President. “I am profoundly grateful to Zygi Wilf and his family for their exceptional vision, their commitment a more inclusive legal profession, and their belief in the power of change through the law. Aspiring lawyers: If you are driven, focused, and committed to advancing a more just world through the law, New York Law School is the training ground for you.”
“On behalf of the Wilf Family Foundations, we are incredibly proud to help establish this new program, which will deepen New York Law School’s long-standing commitment to public interest work,” said Zygi Wilf ’74. “As an alumnus of NYLS, I know the students are committed to creating a fairer, more just world, and we look forward to seeing what these scholars accomplish as part of this program. It is also essential that we continue to diversify the legal field, and we hope this program will attract a diverse range of students who can bring new perspectives and insights to the legal profession.”
Wilf Scholars will work closely with faculty leaders on the front lines of today’s most important civil rights challenges, including civil rights, immigration rights, racial justice, educational equity, housing rights, and access to justice for children and families. Scholars will also have the opportunity to collaborate with external social justice organizations that operate on NYLS’s campus.
“Zygi Wilf and the Wilf Family Foundations have shown once again their commitment to expanding justice,” said Arthur Abbey ’59, Chair of the NYLS Board of Trustees, “This historic gift will diversify our profession and provide NYLS students with extraordinary opportunities to use their education to help others who need it most. I am deeply proud to have Zygi as a member of our law school community, and this is a powerful demonstration of the importance of legal education in creating lasting social justice and change.”
