Brilliant Futures Campaign

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Campaign Priorities

Campaign Statement

For more than a century the College of Law has taught the principles of legal leadership to generations of students who have gone on to positions of influence within government, the judiciary, the private bar, business, legal aid organizations and education. We are renowned for shaping the terms of contemporary social, political and legal debates, with our faculty writing field-defining books and publishing articles that have powerfully influenced the distribution of legal rights, duties, and liberties by legislators and judges.

The question is whether the College's second century will be like its first. To maintain our historic standing amongst the nation's premier law schools we must continue to attract faculty that lead entire fields of law and engage the best and brightest students. Both contribute to the College's reputation as a place of academic rigor and intellectual vitality. They provide the College the ability to graduate ambitions, visionary and ethical professionals who seed positions of leadership within our society.

For the College to remain one of the nation's great law schools 100 years from now, we must ensure today that it will have the resources needed to triumph in a fiercely competitive environment.

That's why we have launched the Brilliant Futures Campaign, designed to help the University develop leadership for the 21st Century, provide excellent academic programs, encourage breakthrough knowledge and innovation, create transformative learning environments, and make sure the brightest students have access to an Illinois education.

We invite you to be part of our Campaign. Together, we can recruit the most promising students, attract and retain the best faculty, and develop exciting new programs, critical elements in upholding our College's reputation as one of the nation's top institutions for legal education. Please join us in fulfilling our agenda for excellence.

Meet the Co-Chairs

John T. Bradford

John T. Bradford '80

John is a Principal with KPMG LLP in Houston, Texas, and is the lead tax relationship partner responsible for providing the complete line of tax services to BP, ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, ConocoPhillips, Marathon and Shell. John provides tax advice to the oil and gas industry for property acquisitions, dispositions, financings, joint ventures and exploration and production operations. Prior to joining KPMG in 2002, John served in executive positions with Chase Securitis Inc./JPMorgan Securities Inc., Arthur Andersen LLP, and with the Exxon Corporation. John is a two-term member of the College of Law's Board of Visitors, a member of the John E. Cribbet Society, as well as a member of the University's President's Council and a Foundation Member. John earned a bachelor's degree in accountancy in 1977 and his Juris Doctor in 1980, both from the University of Illinois, as well as a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Houston Law Center. John's wife, Nancy, received her bachelor's degree in 1978 in biochemistry at Illinois and is a senior client services manager with IBM in Houston.

Peer Pedersen

Peer Pedersen '48

Peer is the Founder and Chairman of the Chicago-based law firm of Pedersen & Houpt and is a leader in the Chicago business community, where he is noted for his financial acumen, his ability to evaluate investment opportunities, and his talent for devising successful business strategies. He brings to his law practice his extensive experience as an entrepreneur and investor, as well as his expertise in corporate financing, tax, securities, and real estate law. Peer has represented clients from virtually every field of American industry in their domestic and international transactions. A long-time volunteer and benefactor to the College of Law, Peer has provided outright and deferred gifts in the form of an endowed faculty chair and professorship, as well as funding for the Pedersen Pavilion. Peer, a 1948 graduate of the College of Law, has served on the College's Board of Visitors since 1988, and was President of the Board from 1991 to 1993. A University of Illinois Foundation Member, President's Council and John E. Cribbet Society member, Peer headed the College's last Capital Campaign and was Chairman of the Centennial Campaign. Peer is also an active volunteer in the Chicago civic community with extensive service on numerous boards of hospitals, children's and arts organizations.

Vacketta

Carl L. Vacketta '65

Carl is a Partner in the Washington, D.C. office of DLA Piper US LLP, where he has over 40 years of successful experience in government contracts law, including pre-award and post-award counseling on supply, service, and construction contracts with federal, state, and local government agencies and public transit authorities. He has represented companies selling information technology, telecommunications equipment, and professional and technical services to the government. He has in-depth experience in GSA's Multiple Award Schedule Contract (MASC) program; due diligence reviews to support mergers and acquisitions; termination disputes; socioeconomic obligations; and small business acquisition matters. He also has led teams of attorneys, accountants, and engineers in the investigation and preparation of multimillion-dollar claims for major shipyards, aerospace, power generating, electronics, and telecommunication companies.

Carl earned a bachelor's degree in Commerce Law from the College of Business in 1963 prior to earning his Juris Doctor from the College of Law in 1965. Carl has been a long-time friend of the University of Illinois, and serves as a member of the Presidents Council, University of Illinois Foundation member, and on the University of Illinois Foundation's Board of Directors. He has served for many years on the College of Law's Board of Visitors and is a member of the John E. Cribbet Society. Carl supported the College of Law's previous building campaign by sponsoring the "Peter G. and Julia M. Vacketta Conference Room" in honor of his parents. He established a deferred gift to endow a faculty chair and was instrumental in funding the College's prestigious Vacketta - DLA Piper Lecture on the Role of Government and the Law.