Don Sr. and Gail RodzikA $3 million donation from the Rodzik family will support the Transforming Windsor Law building project. Don Sr. and Gail Rodzik were on hand for an announcement Friday.

$3 million gift from Rodzik family to support Windsor Law transformation

A planned $30 million transformation of the current Ron Ianni Faculty of Law building got a major boost Friday with the announcement of a $3 million gift by the Don Rodzik Foundation in support of the Transforming Windsor Law building project.

University of Windsor president Rob Gordon and Faculty of Law dean Chris Waters were joined by Don Rodzik Sr. and members of the Rodzik family at an outdoor event on campus announcing the gift.

“We are immensely proud of our Windsor roots and it has always been important to me and my family to educate, to mentor, to continually improve, to invest, and help our community to succeed,” said Rodzik.

“Our family believes in the power of higher education and the enrichment to those who seek it. The opportunity to improve education is our key motivation in making this gift.”

Rodzik called on others in the community “with an enterprising spirit” to support the campaign.

“We hope this gift will inspire others to consider supporting the renovation and truly transform Windsor Law into something new and better… your investment is needed to make this happen.”

The project, expected to begin in January 2021, is spearheaded by Diamond Schmitt Architects and will remake the current law building into an environment that provides better space for teaching, learning, and collaboration, while serving the accessibility needs of a diverse population in a warm and welcoming way.

The Rodzik family’s gift will support the new building’s Don Rodzik Moot Court; the Don & Gail Rodzik Law Library; and the Don Rodzik Family chair in Law and Entrepreneurship.

Dr. Gordon called the family’s gift “inspirational” and a testament to the importance of relationships built between the University of Windsor and the community it serves.

“The University of Windsor is tremendously grateful to the Rodzik family today for their very generous and meaningful gift, and for the ongoing support and guidance Don Rodzik Jr. has provided as a member of the TWL committee,” he said.

“The Rodzik family story is a uniquely Windsor one, rooted in hard work, tenacity, and a keen eye to the future. We are deeply honoured that the Rodziks recognize Transforming Windsor Law as an investment worth making — a place where tomorrow’s legal practitioners will have a personally transformative educational experience, and where they will receive the support and acquire the important skills needed to make vital contributions to the communities they will serve.”

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