Law School Receives $450,000 for Energy Initiative

The Constellation Foundation, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, gave the donation.

The George Washington University Law School has received a $450,000 donation from the Constellation Foundation to launch an energy law and policy initiative that will develop leaders on legal and policy issues in the electric energy field. It debuts this fall.

Constellation, a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, supplies homes and businesses with power, natural gas and energy products and services in the United States.

“It is abundantly clear that America’s economic future depends in large part on our developing and maintaining a sound energy policy,” Law School Dean Paul Schiff Berman said. “With this generous contribution from the Constellation Foundation, the GW Law School is poised to become the national leader among law schools by becoming a trusted, non-partisan source of innovative thinking in this ever-changing sector.”

The $450,000 donation will help the Law School expand its energy law and policy offerings and fund the hiring of a program advisor to launch the initiative, develop a research agenda, build an energy law advisory board and convene stakeholder meetings.

The Law School already has a strong footing in energy law and policy given its location in the nation’s capital. Students can learn about utility regulation, national security and energy and property interests in natural resources. They can contribute to the George Washington Journal of Energy and Environmental Law. And the Law School also serves as host and co-sponsor of the annual Conference on the Law of Demand Response and partners with universities abroad for students interested in international energy law issues.

“The electricity industry is evolving rapidly, from the deployment of Smart Grid technology to the expansion of competitive markets serving a growing number of business and residential customers,” said Mayo A. Shattuck III, chairman of the Constellation Foundation and executive chairman of Exelon Corp. “Many of the key policy matters that will frame this evolution will be developed and debated in the nation’s capital, making George Washington University Law School an ideal partner.”