Bill and Nancy Trachsel are kicking off the UConn School of Law’s centennial with a significant addition to their existing scholarship fund, making it the most generous donor-funded scholarship at the school.
The scholarship, which covers most of tuition for all three years of law school, opens the door for those candidates who otherwise would not have been able to attend law school.
“We wanted to reach people who had an interest and a desire to go to law school, but didn’t have the financial resources to do it,” explains Bill ’71 JD.
Their gift kicks off a year-long campaign to raise $5 million in honor of the School of Law’s 100th anniversary. The Trachsel Scholarship has already helped several students, including Ahmir Glover of Passaic, N.J., who is in his third year at the School of Law.
“I have wanted to be an attorney since I was 5,” Glover says. “My mother and grandmother said that, as a kid, I loved to argue, so it seemed that this was probably a great path for me.”
Glover, who is the first in his family to go to college, said the scholarship made his dream possible.
“It would have been, at the very least, extremely difficult to have been able to attend without this scholarship,” Glover says.
“Law school has been extremely challenging. But it’s always been extremely rewarding, just knowing how difficult a program it is, how many people want to go to law school, and having stuck to the goal,” says Glover, who also serves as administrative editor on the Connecticut Insurance Law Journal and is on the Moot Court Board. “It’s been a great experience so far.”
Another scholarship recipient, Giovanni Aragon, says the Trachsel Scholarship not only helped him, but has inspired him to carry on the giving tradition in the future.
“I hope that one day I have the opportunity to be this generous, this kind,” says Aragon, who is in his second year of law school.
Dean Eboni S. Nelson said the Trachsels’ gift will enable generations of students to achieve their dream of pursuing a legal education.
“The Trachsel Scholarship furthers the law school’s values of accessibility and affordability, which have been at the center of UConn Law’s mission since its founding 100 years ago,” Nelson says. “We are deeply appreciative of the Trachsels’ longstanding dedication to supporting the success of our students, and we hope it encourages others to support the school based on their interest, whether it targets scholarships, faculty, programs, or other areas.”
Nancy Trachsel attended St. Clare’s College in Oxford, England, then transferred to Georgia Southern University. Upon graduation, she was a French teacher and then a community volunteer and full-time mother to their two sons.
Bill Trachsel graduated with a degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida. He spent his entire 42-year career with United Technologies Corporation, starting as an engineer at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford. While working full time, he enrolled in the evening division of the UConn School of Law. After graduating, he joined the Pratt & Whitney legal department and moved through the UTC legal organization, eventually becoming senior vice president, secretary, and general counsel.
Now retired, the Trachsels live in Chatham, Massachusetts, where Bill serves on the board of directors of the Cape Cod Foundation.
Learn more about the Centennial Celebration here. Support the UConn School of Law by contacting Ron Fleury at rfleury@foundation.uconn.edu, (860) 816-4211 or (860) 570-5270.
