News and Progress

MU School of Law announces $1 million gift to support Law Library

Sept. 16, 2005

Libraries often are cited as one of the most vital elements to student success and achievement on college campuses. This is particularly true of law libraries, which serve as centers of research for law students as well as repositories of historical information available to the public. The MU Law Library at the University of Missouri-Columbia will expand its scope thanks to a $1 million gift from George Ashley.

“George Ashley embodies service to this University, this law school, the legal profession and the public,” said Lawrence Dessem, MU Law School dean. “His wonderful gift helps the law library as we seek to serve others in the present and in generations yet to come. The law library is our laboratory at the law school. In it, our faculty and students study the law of Missouri, the nation and the world. It is at the very heart of what we do.”

The gift will be used to enhance the law library as it provides educational materials to students, faculty and the public. The MU Law Library already represents a partnership of technology and information that gives students and researchers the tools they need to meet the challenges of legal education. In addition to an extensive collection of books, papers and scholarly journals, the library contains four “SmartSuites,” which are equipped with computers, projectors, media players and other technology, allowing for collaborative work on a variety of projects.

“I always have felt that the library is the central resource available to faculty and students,” Ashley said. “In that way, it serves the entire school. There are many good reasons for people to give back to the University. I chose to support the law library because of its scope, and because strengthening the library for the benefit of students, faculty and the public is one of the primary goals of the School of Law.”

Ashley is a 1948 graduate of the MU School of Law. While at MU, he served as editor of the Missouri Law Review, and was chosen for Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma, QEBH, Class Marshall and the Order of the Coif. Later in his career, he served as an adjunct professor in the school. He has been intimately involved with fund raising for the University, including the MU Libraries and the Law Library Campaign. He also serves on the For All We Call Mizzou School of Law Campaign Committee. He currently resides in Dallas, Texas.