Campus News

'Behind the Blue': J. David Rosenberg Strives to Build a Foundation of Excellence With $20 Million Gift to UK’s College of Law

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 20, 2020) — On Nov. 8, 2019, the University of Kentucky announced a historic $20 million gift to the College of Law from Lexington native and College of Law alumnus J. David Rosenberg and his wife, Dianne. The gift is the third largest single donation in university history.

Founded in 1908, the College of Law was one of the nation’s first state law schools. It is housed in a recently renovated $53 million state-of-the-art building, dedicated Nov. 19, 2019. The college has routinely been named among the best values in legal education.

Rosenberg is a senior partner in the Cincinnati firm of Keating Muething & Klekamp, where he has practiced since 1974. He credits his legal education at the University of Kentucky for his success and leadership roles in law, finance and his community. His endowment will focus on scholarship opportunities for future generations of UK law students and faculty support as the college seeks to retain and recruit outstanding legal scholars.

On this episode of "Behind the Blue," UK Public Relations and Strategic Communications' Amy Jones-Timoney and Carl Nathe met with Rosenberg on the day of the announcement to discuss his gift, his ties to the university and to Lexington, and his efforts to live a life of service, commitment and giving.

"Behind the Blue" is available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify. Become a subscriber to receive new episodes of “Behind the Blue” each week. UK’s latest medical breakthroughs, research, artists and writers will be featured, along with the most important news impacting the university.

For questions or comments about this or any other episode of "Behind the Blue," email BehindTheBlue@uky.edu or tweet your question with #BehindTheBlue.

To discover what’s wildly possible at the University of Kentucky, click here.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.