A longtime adviser to government officials and Fortune 500 businesses has made a $1.1 million gift to the University of South Carolinas School of Law to provide students with scholarships, fellowships and leadership development.

Jim Konduros, a 1954 law alumnus, credits the law school for helping him develop the strategic thinking and counseling skills that guided him through a career that included working with U.S. Sen. Olin Johnston and Gov. Bob McNair, advising major companies and serving as counsel to a hospital system CEO and leading several nonprofit organizations.

Made possible through the Konduros Fishermen Fund, the School of Law scholarships will provide financial support to incoming law students who have worked as a government employee or served in the U.S. armed services. Similarly, the summer fellowships will provide support to students working in public service through governmental or non-profit agencies.

The Moore School of Business is tops in the nation, and many of Carolinas science and engineering programs have achieved great acclaim, Konduros said. The stars are now aligning for the law school with a first-rate building soon to be under construction and the university presidents dedicated support. Im hopeful this gift will be part of the catalyst to put the last critical part in place: the alumni of the law school pledging their support. It is their time to contribute to the celebration.

Konduros, a native of Anderson, retires this year from what he calls his passion career, where he has spent the past 25 years overseeing millions in grants to the less fortunate as the chairman and CEO of several nonprofit organizations.

His journey in public service began in the early 1960s as aide to Sen. Johnston and advocate in the war on poverty, which he continued as a key member of Gov. McNairs staff. He brought together the S.C. Highway Commission and Appalachia Commission to construct the 72-mile Cherokee Trail (S.C. Hwy. 11) through the states foothills. He also helped create the Appalachian Community Service Network, an educational cable channel that later became The Learning Channel.

After Gov. McNairs term ended in 1971, Konduros joined a new law firm created by McNair, developing and supervising a governmental affairs practice. During his 20-year tenure with the McNair Law Firm he advised Westinghouse in its successful bid to assume operations at the Savannah River Site and helped Palmetto Health CEO Charles Beaman navigate the merger of Baptist Medical Center and Richland Memorial Hospital.

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Konduros makes $1.1 million Gift to USC School of Law University of South Carolina