Law School Gets Year Extension To Raise New Construction Funds

The Ford Foundation has given the Harvard Law School a year's extension of time in which to raise $500,000 for the International Legal Studies project. In January, 1955, the Foundation had offered the Law School half a million dollars if the School could match that total within two years.

The Law School had been unable to raise the money as of this month, but the extension of time granted by Ford makes the Law School "reasonably optimistic about its chance for success by 1958," according to Milton Katz '27, Director of International Legal Studies.

The attempts to raise funds have centered largely around interested corporations and foundations which have a stake in the development of Harvard's project. "We have been trying to avoid canvassing alumni in our drive," Katz said, "because we don't want to disturb the regular Alumni Fund procedure."

The money offered by the Ford Foundation would be used to construct a new wing, connected to Langdell Hall by a bridge, which would house the International Legal Studies project. The present arrangement, with the Studies in Langdell, has resulted in overcrowding in that building.

Funds raised by the Law School would be employed in the construction of a special dormitory to house the students, both American and foreign, participating in the project. The dormitory, according to the Dean's report, "might house about 80 students, and could be located on Massachusetts Avenue in the space now occupied by Kendall House and Chancelry Club."

The Dean's report also revealed that the Ford Foundation made a special grant late last year designed "to provide followships for the aid and development of law teachers." This increase, along with other recent increases in the number of graduate students in the School, has given rise to the Committee on Graduate Studies which must deal with the selection of grad students from the many applications and with the development "of appropriate programs of study for graduate students."