Steve Novak TW

Planning for the Future

Steve Novak’s Enduring Commitment to KU Law Steve Novak doesn’t spend his time considering his legacy, but he does think everyone should plan ahead. “I don’t want to be too cliché, but the old saying is true,” he explains with a laugh. “If you don’t create an estate plan, the state where you live will be happy to provide one …

Giving Story Turning Taxes into Impact with an IRA Transfer

Alumni gift turns taxes into impact

How an IRA QCD Can Support KU Law Students As both a tax attorney and the dean of the KU School of Law, Stephen Mazza knows something about taxable income and funding the school.  “We don’t want to get into the business of giving out tax advice,” Mazza joked. “But the tax benefits of transferring minimum distributions from an IRA …

Giving Story Stephen W. Mazza Dean's Opportunity Fund

Dean establishes opportunity fund to assist successors

When University of Kansas School of Law Dean Stephen Mazza was a boy in Huntsville, Alabama, the legacy of his family’s giving towered over him. “When my great uncle immigrated from Italy and settled in Alabama he helped build the Catholic church in town with a significant donation,” Dean Mazza explains. “Every generation of my family since has made a …

Fund established honoring alum’s support of the Project for Innocence

The Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence & Post-Conviction Remedies – previously known as The Defender Project – was founded at KU Law almost 60 years ago. Hundreds of students have participated in the program over the years and have won more than 70 direct appeals since its rebranding in 2008. The program has received support from many, including Robert …