Alabama May Return $21.5 Million, Strip Donor's Name From Law School After His Call For Boycott Due To State's New Abortion Law

Following up on my previous posts:

• University Of Alabama Law School Receives $26.5 Million Naming Gift; Donor Hopes For Top 10-15 Ranking (Sept. 28, 2018)
• $26.5 Million Donor Completes Naming Gift Ahead Of Schedule Due To Alabama Law School's Rise In The U.S. News Rankings (Mar. 30, 2018)

AL.com, UA May Give Back $21.5 million to Culverhouse, Rename Law School in Dispute:

Hugh Culverhouse, Jr., the University of Alabama’s largest donor, has called for a boycott of Alabama — school and state — over the state’s latest near-total abortion ban law.

But the UA System and Culverhouse have been in an ongoing dispute over the millions he has donated to the law school unrelated to the abortion legislation, vice chancellor for communications Kellee Reinhart said. In an emailed statement, Reinhart said Culverhouse asked the school to return $10 million, “repeating numerous demands about the operations of the University of Alabama School of Law."

University of Alabama System Chancellor Finis St. John recommended the Board of Trustees return the $21.5 million in donations the law school it has actually received, and restore the name to “The University of Alabama School of Law” in a memo sent to board members yesterday. It was renamed in September 2018 to Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law after the Florida businessman pledged to donate $26.5 million to the university.

“After numerous conversations and communications involving President (Stuart) Bell and (School of Law Dean Mark) Brandon, it is apparent that University and law school leadership will not be able to meet the donor’s expectations and do not share the same vision for the future,” said St. John. "It is my recommendation that we comply with the request to return the recent gift, as well as the prior gifts, and restore the name ‘The University of Alabama School of Law.’ Returning the gifts and renaming the law school are Board decisions and can only happen by Board action.” ...

Culverhouse’s father, Hugh Culverhouse Sr., and his mother Joy both attended UA and were prominent donors to the university. He said his father was an active officer of a Planned Parenthood in Jacksonville, Fla., when he was a child and his mother was strong-willed and never would have stood for Alabama’s strict abortion regulations. ...

“Sweet home Alabama? There ain’t nothing god-damn sweet about it,” Culverhouse said.

• Crimson White, In Wake of Abortion Ban, Top Donor Tells Students to Boycott University
• Daily Beast, Seeing Red: University of Alabama’s Top Donor Pushes Boycott Over Abortion Law; Now the School May Return His Millions.
• Florida Politics, Hugh Culverhouse Calls for Boycott of University of Alabama
• Inside Higher Ed, Top U of Alabama Donor Urges Student Boycott
• Newsweek, Hugh Culverhouse Jr. Gave The University of Alabama $21.5 Million, But It Wants to Give It Back Because He Opposes The State's Abortion Law
• Tuscaloosa News, University of Alabama to Return Donor’s $21.5 Million Gift