Scalia Law School Lands More Than $50 Million, and Indiana U. Gets $30 Million: Gifts Roundup

A roundup of notable gifts compiled by the Chronicle:

George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School

Allison and Dorothy Rouse left roughly $52 million to create the Allison and Dorothy Rouse Endowment, which will be used to support 13 new professorships.

Allison Rouse was a judge who in 1971 was appointed by then California Gov. Ronald Reagan to serve as an associate justice of the California Court of Appeal in San Francisco. He retired from the bench in 1988 and worked for a decade as a private judge and arbitrator. He died in 2005 at the age of 86.

Dorothy Rouse was an attorney who spent most of her career with the San Mateo County District Attorney’s office. She died last year at the age of 93. The two met while they were students at the University of San Francisco and were married for more than 50 years.

Indiana University

Paul O’Neill, a former secretary of the U.S. Treasury, and his wife, Nancy, gave $30 million for programs in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The school will be renamed for Paul O’Neill, whose career has included work in government service, the corporate world, and the nonprofit sector.

Paul O’Neill started out as a computer systems analyst with the Veterans Administration. He earned a master’s of public administration from the university in 1966 and then spent 10 years with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, eventually becoming its deputy director. He later led International Paper Company and served as chairman and CEO of Alcoa.

On the nonprofit side, he co-founded the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative to improve health care in the greater Pittsburgh area, and he served as chairman of the Rand Corporation. In 2001, he was appointed the 72nd secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury by then President George W. Bush.

University of Notre Dame

John and Mollie Baumer donated $20 million for the construction of Baumer Hall, a men’s residence hall that will open in August.

John Baumer is a senior partner at Leonard Green & Partners, a Los Angeles private-equity firm. His father, Fred Baumer, served a s Notre Dame’s comptroller for 21 years. John Baumer earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the university in 1990.

Mayo Clinic Health System Cancer Center

Stephen and Barbara Slaggie gave $5 million to expand the La Crosse, Wis., medical center, which will be named for them.

Stephen Slaggie is a retired executive of the Fastenal Company, an industrial manufacturer, and he formerly owned Gate City Agency, an insurance and real estate firm.

The Slaggies are longtime Mayo Clinic patients. As a child Stephen Slaggie was hospitalized and treated for spinal meningitis at the clinic and underwent prostate cancer surgery there 20 years ago.

McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia

John and Stephanie Connaughton donated $5 million to launch the Connaughton Alternative Investing Professorship Fund.

The gift is the first contribution to the McIntire Alternative Investing Initiative, a new effort aimed at institutionalizing an academic and experiential educational program focused on analyzing business through the lens of alternative investments such as private equity, hedge funds, and commodities.

John Connaughton is co-managing partner of Bain Capital, an international alternative investment firm based in Boston. He graduated from the university in 1987. Stephanie Connaughton is a senior adviser to a variety of consumer start-ups.

Cleveland Museum of Art

William and Amanda Madar gave $3 million to establish and endow the William P. and Amanda C. Madar Curator of American Painting and Sculpture.

William Madar is a retired president and CEO of the Nordson Corporation, a designer and manufacturer of dispensing equipment for consumer and industrial adhesives, sealants, and coatings.

He has been a museum trustee since 1995 and previously served as chairman of the institution’s finance committee.

To learn about other big donations, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated throughout the week.