Twenty-two named professorships, including the Allan R. Tessler Deanship, have been established in Cornell Law School. Endowed professorships provide vital financial support and allow the Law School to attract and retain exemplary legal scholars.

Cornell University guidelines written by the Board of Trustees govern the process of establishing an endowed professorship.  Several methods, including different forms of planned gifts and gifts of appreciated securities, are available for funding the endowment. Today, the threshold for a named professorship in Cornell Law School is $3,000,000. 

Donors work closely with the Dean and the administration to define criteria for an endowment that both addresses the donor’s interests and allows the Dean the flexibility to make an appointment that is consistent with the school’s needs and objectives. A professorship may be named in honor of the donor(s) or the person or persons (including a member of the faculty, past or present) of the donor’s preference.