Silver’s significant contribution meets Quinnipiac’s third-year law students at a critical moment by gifting each with a Helix Bar Review by AccessLex and the 3L Pre-Bar course. The course provides pivotal post-graduate preparation essential to passing the Connecticut Bar Exam and gaining licensure. School of Law Class of 2025 members learned of Silver’s gift with a surprise announcement during their "Transition to Practice" workshop on October 15.

“I’ve been involved with the law school since its start, and so I’ve been very interested in its progress and the success of its students,” said Silver. “As a law student, you’re working diligently for several years, and the most important thing is to pass the bar exam in order to become a member of the bar and practice law. This contribution is to support students to pass the bar and also to support our new dean's leadership and vision of student success.”

School of Law Dean Brian Gallini said he’s deeply appreciative of Silver’s tremendous show of support, and energized by the momentum his gift contributes to the law school’s commitment to support student success during school and in their transition to becoming lawyers.

Gallini said Silver’s philanthropy is not only instantly transformative for its impact on currently enrolled students, but also precedential as it supports the law school and challenges leadership to think deeply about how to continue to position students for post-graduate success in the future.

“The entire community is deeply appreciative for Rick’s transformative and forward-thinking philanthropy, which both supports graduates and recognizes that at Quinnipiac, we really are thinking about students’ success not just during law school, but afterwards. Rick’s gift is evidence of that,” Gallini said.

Gallini said Silver’s gift also adds momentum to the recent appointment of Professor Kevin Barry to the inaugural position of Associate Dean of Student Success.

“Kevin is an extraordinary leader with deep institutional knowledge and an ability to relationally move every stakeholder of this law school forward,” Gallini said. “We’re able to align Rick’s gift with Kevin’s abilities, and I’m excited about how those two things are going to intersect for the benefit of our students.”

Barry said he’s thrilled to be part of a much larger project to help students thrive in law school, on the bar exam, and in the profession.

“Trustee Silver’s gift and Dean Gallini’s leadership have allowed us to make some modest changes that saw our Connecticut Bar pass rate jump substantially, and there are more changes to come,” Barry said. “I’m excited for our students, our faculty, our staff, and I’m looking forward to continued success.”

Silver’s philanthropic gift to the School of Law represents his ongoing stewardship of the university, and the power of how an individual can make a difference, said Nick Wormley, Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs.

“When you look at true philanthropy and looking at what are the biggest needs at a university, I think his gift has set records,” said Wormley. “For us to have our Connecticut pass rates to be higher than the state average, and to grow our percentage with a gift, is a credit to what Dean Gallini is trying to achieve; and it’s a great story about Rick’s philanthropy and his desire to change lives through his continued support of this program.”

Quinnipiac School of Law 3L students will gain an exceptional advantage through the innovative Helix Bar Review’s 3L Pre-Bar course, said Cynthia Cassity, Chief Operating Officer of AccessLex Institute and Senior Vice President for Strategic Engagement, Helix Bar Review.

“Like our successful bar preparation courses, Helix Bar Review’s 3L Pre-Bar course is designed with a focus on skills development. Utilizing the latest in learning science, students become equipped with a strategic approach to each component of the bar exam—the essays, performance tests, and the MBE,” Cassity said. “And because bar study differs significantly from traditional law school learning, our 3L course helps students transition from classroom-based learning, which relies on cases and Socratic dialogue, to an individualized study process involving videos, outlines, and practice questions. Helix’s emphasis on self-regulated learning and continuous self-assessment ensures that students are consistently progressing, improving, and preparing for the day they take the bar exam.”