Vanderbilt University Law School has secured a $10 million commitment from alumni Lara and Clay Travis, aimed at funding free speech rights, child care for student parents, veteran services, scholarships, and key programs promoting civil discourse, the school announced Wednesday.
“We had an amazing experience at Vanderbilt Law School and believe deeply in the transformative power of a Vanderbilt legal education,” the couple said in a statement. “We want to enable students from all backgrounds to enjoy this same experience, and we want to support the Law School’s commitment to civil debate and discourse and to educating lawyers who respect the rule of law and are committed to providing legal representation to all.”
The donation will specifically support the school’s First Amendment Clinic, which provides pro bono legal services for free speech cases, and the “Respectfully Dissent” debate series, designed to foster respectful disagreement on contentious issues. Additional funds will go toward merit- and need-based scholarships, child care assistance for law students with families, enhanced support for military veterans, and ongoing renovations to the law school’s facilities.
The gift aligns with Vanderbilt’s broader “Dare to Grow” capital campaign, which has already raised over $3.8 billion to advance university-wide initiatives like expanded campuses in New York City and West Palm Beach, athletic programs under Vandy United, and need-blind admissions through Opportunity Vanderbilt. The fundraising initiative surpassed its initial $3.2 billion goal ahead of schedule, the school noted.
“Lara and Clay have given the Law School a powerful opportunity to deliver on our educational promise in several important ways,” Dean Chris Guthrie said. “I am beyond grateful for their generosity, vision and commitment to the Law School.”
Nashville native Clay Travis graduated from Vanderbilt Law School in 2004 and returned to earn a master’s degree in creative writing from the university in 2008. He founded OutKick in 2011, building it into a major sports and opinion media platform with licensing partnerships including Fox Sports. Fox acquired OutKick in 2021.
In addition to hosting the nationally syndicated “OutKick the Show” radio broadcast on Fox Sports Radio, he famously hosts the The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, syndicated nationally by Cumulus Media.
Lara Travis enrolled at Vanderbilt Law School in 2001 as a first-year student but paused her studies after the first year to complete a master’s degree in human development and counseling from Vanderbilt in 2007. She returned and earned her J.D. in 2023. A former Tennessee Titans cheerleader, she works as a legal advisor in Nashville; the couple met at the law school, where Clay recruited her for a coed softball team, and married in 2004.
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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on X at @christinakb.
Photo “Clay and Lara Travis” by Vanderbilt University.Â
