CLEVELAND — Cleveland State University received its largest-ever donation from an individual donor, university President Laura Bloomberg announced at an event Thursday night.

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland State University's president announced they received their largest donation ever from a single individual
  • A donation of almost $15 million came posthumously from the estate of Katherine and Walter McCombs

  • The donation will help pay for some student costs and offer scholarships for law students

According to a university press release, the donation amounted to almost $15 million. It was a posthumous donation from the estate of Katherine and Walter McCombs.

“Mr. McCombs is a 1976 graduate of the CSU College of Law, and during his collegiate career, CSU was the only school to offer him a scholarship,” the release reads. “His gift honors that University support.”

The donation will help students cover various costs, including tuition and room and board, as it establishes the Katherine F. McCombs and Walter Lee McCombs Transformative Impact Fund.

Another part of the donation is headed to the Walter Lee McCombs Endowed Scholarship Fund in the College of Law in order to offer law student scholarships.

In recognition of this donation, the university is renovating an outdoor plaza situated between the Student Center and Rhodes Tower. They will be naming it the McCombs Family Plaza.

Bloomberg said the university is grateful for such a historic gift.

“CSU made a lasting impact on the life of Walter McCombs, and thanks to his and his wife Katherine’s decision to pay it forward, many of our high-need students will have the resources they need to remain focused on their degree programs,” she said. “There’s no better way to honor the tremendous generosity of Walter and Katherine McCombs than to provide a transformational education to our students.”