A VISION FOR THE FUTURE Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice
This is how breakthroughs happen.
A MESSAGE FROM THE CENTER’S FOUNDING DIRECTOR Every generation is called to confront the defining issues of its time. Today’s legal leaders must be equipped not only to understand injustice, but to challenge it, and create pathways toward a better future. The Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice is preparing those leaders through scholarship, advocacy and experiential learning that transforms classrooms into catalysts for change. Together, we have an opportunity to build a national model for legal education grounded in justice, engagement and impact. JENN DYE, PhD, JD Theodore M. Berry Director Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice
BREAKTHROUGHS BEGIN HERE. At the University of Cincinnati’s Donald P. Klekamp College of Law, we prepare leaders who pursue justice, advance the role of law in society and create meaningful change in their communities. Through academic excellence, experiential learning and public service, the college equips students to excel in the legal profession and address the complex challenges shaping our world. As one of the college’s centers of excellence, the Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice advances this mission through scholarship, advocacy and community engagement. The center prepares students to examine issues at the intersections of race, gender and social justice while developing the skills and experiences needed to become effective advocates and changemakers. Today, the need for this work has never been greater. As communities continue to confront questions of civil rights, access to justice and equal opportunity, the Jones Center provides the chance for students to translate learning into action through interdisciplinary collaboration, experiential education and meaningful community engagement. Realizing this vision requires investment in the people, programs and opportunities that will shape the next generation of advocates and expand the center’s impact for years to come. Our priorities include: • Expanded Social Justice Fellowships to reduce financial barriers and create pathways to careers dedicated to public service and social change. • A sustainable Amicus Brief Project to give students hands-on appellate advocacy experience while strengthening the Jones Center’s role in issues shaping law, policy and civil rights. • Enhanced Jones Center programming and partnerships to connect students, scholars, practitioners and communities through learning, dialogue and engagement. • Endowed support for long-term growth and impact to ensure the Jones Center remains a vibrant center of excellence for generations to come. Together, we can empower students to transform education into action and advocacy into lasting social change.
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“I chose to get involved with the Jones Center because I was already a dual-degree student, and coming in after my graduate year, I knew I wanted a smaller community within the law school of like-minded individuals.” ABBY HOBBS, JD, MA ‘26 Social Justice Fellow
THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS Through scholarship support, mentorship and curricular and experiential learning opportunities, the Social Justice Fellows program at the Jones Center develops future advocates committed to public service, civic engagement and social change. By reducing the burden of tuition, fellowship support gives graduates greater freedom to pursue careers in public service and social justice, cultivating a new generation of changemakers equipped to advance justice in their communities. Currently, three incoming Social Justice Fellows are supported each year, creating a cohort of nine active fellows across the three-year law school experience. Fellowship support at $7,500 annually would cover approximately 30% of one student’s annual tuition, reducing financial barriers and increasing the college’s ability to recruit and retain exceptional future fellows.
Funding priorities include:
Endowed Social Justice Fellow | $200,000 endowment An endowed gift creates permanent support for a Social Justice Fellow, generating approximately $8,000 annually for scholarship support in perpetuity. Additional endowed funding can provide resources for leadership development, research or a student-led initiative managed by the fellow during the academic year. Establishing a named endowment creates a lasting legacy while supporting a student committed to advocacy, public service and social change. Endowments may be established to honor a mentor or loved one, connecting philanthropic investment with the next generation of justice leaders.
Social Justice Fellow | $22,500 over three years A three-year commitment of $22,500 provides one student with a $7,500 annual fellowship, offering meaningful tuition assistance while creating an immediate impact. Current-use support helps the Jones Center strengthen the three-year fellowship program today while building momentum for future growth.
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“Through the Jones Center, I helped author an amicus brief that made its way to the Ohio Supreme Court in Spring 2025. The rewards of that experience have been endless: I developed research and writing skills in real-time and applied them to a cause I was passionate about; I met mentors and friends who continue to guide me through my legal career; and I learned, beginning in just my first semester of law school, what it meant to truly advocate for someone. This experience was a gift and a privilege—one that I would not have had without the Jones Center.” LIBBY BEACH JOHNSON, JD ‘25 Social Justice Fellow
ADVOCACY IN ACTION Experiential learning is most powerful when students engage directly with the legal issues shaping society today. Through the Jones Center’s Amicus Brief Project, students gain handson experience researching, drafting and contributing to legal arguments on constitutional, civil rights and public policy issues, while developing the skills needed to become effective advocates and leaders. Strategic investment can transform the project into a nationally distinctive experiential learning program that connects students to meaningful appellate advocacy while expanding the Jones Center’s impact throughout the region and beyond.
Funding priorities include:
Named Amicus Brief Project Fellowship | $2.5 million endowment A permanent endowment supporting a postgraduate fellowship to lead the Amicus Brief Project. The fellow would monitor emerging cases, coordinate student involvement, recruit volunteer attorneys and build the infrastructure needed to sustain the program for generations of students.
Program leadership and operations | $185,000 two-year commitment Support for attorney oversight, case surveillance, student mentoring and practitioner engagement. These resources will ensure students receive meaningful guidance while expanding the Jones Center’s capacity to participate in significant legal matters throughout the Sixth Circuit and beyond.
AMICUS BRIEF PROJECT • Launched in 2023 • 8 briefs completed on constitutional and civil rights issues • Experiential learning opportunity connecting students to real-world appellate advocacy • Opportunity for permanent program infrastructure to ensure sustainability and growth A VISION FOR THE FUTURE 7
“The Jones Center was central in my decision to attend UC. I was in search of a law school that focused on social justice and had opportunities to be involved in justice efforts while pursuing my legal education. Having a center dedicated to race, gender, and social justice was significant in determining that UC was the right law school for me.” JOELE NEWMAN, JD ‘26 Social Justice Fellow
EXPANDING THE REACH OF JUSTICE The Jones Center serves as a hub for learning, dialogue and action, connecting students, scholars, practitioners and community leaders around issues of race, gender and social justice. Continued program support will ensure the center’s ability to convene thought leaders, expand experiential learning opportunities and engage the broader community in meaningful conversations that inspire change.
Funding priorities include:
Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice Endowed Fund Contributions to the existing Jones Center endowed fund provide permanent support for workshops, educational programs, leadership development opportunities, community engagement initiatives and signature events that advance the center’s mission. We would be honored to partner with you, in collaboration with your financial and legal advisors, to structure a commitment that reflects your philanthropic goals and long-term planning.
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ABOUT THE CENTER The Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice was founded on the belief that legal education should extend beyond the classroom to address the real-world challenges facing individuals and communities. Its roots trace to 1995 with the creation of the nation’s first joint JD/MA program in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Over time, that pioneering academic program evolved into a nationally distinctive center dedicated to scholarship, advocacy, experiential learning and community engagement.
Officially established in 2010 and renamed in 2019 to honor Judge Nathaniel R. Jones, the center reflects the values and legacy of one of the nation’s most respected jurists and civil rights leaders. Today, the Jones Center serves as a hub where students, scholars, practitioners and community partners come together to examine issues at the intersections of race, gender and social justice and translate learning into meaningful action. Through fellowships, experiential learning opportunities, research initiatives and public programming, the Jones Center prepares future lawyers and leaders to pursue justice and create lasting change.
Nathaniel R. Jones | One of the nation’s most respected jurists, Judge Jones broke barriers as Ohio’s first African American Assistant U.S. Attorney, served as General Counsel of the NAACP where he fought school segregation and defended affirmative action, and later was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
THANK YOU Thank you for considering a partnership that will strengthen the next generation of legal leaders and expand the reach of justice for years to come. Your investment will help expand opportunities for students, strengthen innovative programs and ensure the Jones Center remains a vibrant center of excellence within the Donald P. Klekamp College of Law. Together, we can cultivate future advocates, deepen community impact and advance the principles of justice that have defined the Jones Center since its founding.
CONTACT Jenn Dye, PhD, JD Theodore M. Berry Director, Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice Chief Strategy and Engagement Officer University of Cincinnati Jenn.Dye@uc.edu 513-556-7467 Mindy Roy Senior Director of Development, Donald P. Klekamp College of Law University of Cincinnati Foundation Mindy.Roy@foundation.uc.edu 513-556-0244 Josh Hamilton Director of Development, Donald P. Klekamp College of Law University of Cincinnati Foundation Joshua.Hamilton@foundation.uc.edu 513-556-9888
This is how breakthroughs happen.
University of Cincinnati Foundation | PO Box 19970 | Cincinnati, OH 45219-0970
foundation.uc.edu