Cole Legacy Challenge
University of Florida Levin College of Law is honored to announce the Cole Legacy Challenge, a giving initiative spearheaded by Richard Cole (JD 74) to strengthen the college’s endowment and provide future funding for scholarships, faculty, and programmatic efforts.
Leave a Lasting Legacy at UF Law
Through the UF Levin College of Law Legacy Challenge, your planned gift not only supports future generations of lawyers and leaders, it can also unlock an immediate 1% match (up to $10,000) for impact at UF Law today.
Here’s how it works:
When you document a planned gift of $100,000 or more to the University of Florida Levin College of Law, the college will make an immediate 1% match of your gift’s value (up to $10,000) thanks to a special fund established by longtime supporter and alumnus Richard Cole. You get to choose how that match is used by selecting one of four key initiatives shaping the future of UF Law:
- Scholarships and Student Support – Expanding access and opportunity for top-tier students.
- Faculty Excellence – Attracting and retaining world-class scholars and educators.
- Programs and Clinics – Elevating experiential learning and community impact.
- Greatest Needs – Providing flexible resources to address urgent priorities.
Why participate?
- Multiply the impact of your legacy gift.
- Direct real-time support to an area you’re passionate about.
- Join a distinguished group of alumni and friends shaping the future of legal education and supporting UF Law.
Thanks to the vision and generosity of Richard Cole, the Cole Legacy Challenge offers a powerful way to turn your future commitment into current impact.
Whether you’re updating your estate plans or mapping out your impact, this is a unique opportunity to create a legacy that matters now – and for generations to come.
Lead Gifts
We are thrilled to announce two lead gifts to kick off this challenge: a major gift from alum and LCA member Brian Burgoon (JD 97) and a major gift from Interim Dean Merritt McAlister and her spouse, Jennifer McAlister.
We are especially grateful to Richard Cole, who has been an extraordinary philanthropist and supporter of UF Law. In 2019, he committed a transformational $20 million bequest to establish a Health Law program at UF Law. Cole’s gift is the largest individual contribution to UF Law in its history and one of the largest to any law school in the country. The gift honors Richard Cole’s late father, Robert B. Cole, who graduated from UF’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1932 and UF Law in 1935 and served as the founding chairman of Baptist Health of South Florida until his death. Richard Cole’s bequest continues the legacy of the Robert B. Cole Health Law Endowment, which was created at UF Law in 1995 with the purpose of supporting teaching, programs, research and publications in health law.
Join the Challenge
Thank you for considering ways to support UF Law. To make a gift to this challenge or to discuss ways you may support UF Law, please contact Kris Plunkett at plunkett@law.ufl.edu.